The Seroprevalence of Rubella-Specific IgG and IgM Antibodies Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in General Hospital Kontagora, Niger State

Abstract

Rubella is a contagious viral infection caused by Rubella virus. Rubella infection remains a public health problem in a significant number of countries including Nigeria where the infection is still endemic. This study determined the seroprevalence of Rubella virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in General Hospital kontagora, Niger state. This hospital-based cross-sectional study enrolled 91 randomly selected pregnant women (15-45 years) attending antenatal care. Using a structured questionnaire, data on sociodemographic, medical history, vaccination status, risk factors, and rubella knowledge/practices were collected. Approximately 4mL of blood was collected via venipuncture into EDTA tubes, centrifuged to separate serum, and stored at -20°C. Serum rubella IgG and IgM antibodies were detected using a commercial ELISA kit Perfebio Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Data were analysed using GraphPad Prism (v9.5.1), with results presented as percentages. Chi-square tests assessed associations between sociodemographic factors and seropositivity; p < 0.05 was considered significant. The study revealed an 84 (92.3%) seroprevalence of rubella IgG antibodies while only 1 (1.1%) IgM seropositive sample was observed. The chi square test indicated that age (p = 0.0052, χ²= 5.195), having heard of rubella ((p = 0.0225, χ²= 5.206) and having had a miscarriage before (p = 0.0227; χ²= 16.54) was significantly associated (p < 0.05) with Rubella immunity while there was no significant association (p > 0.05) between Residence, Occupation, Education, Parity, trimester, Obstetric History and exposure risks with the distribution of Rubella virus-specific IgG antibodies. IgM seropositivity showed no significant associations with any examined factors. The high IgG seroprevalence indicates widespread prior rubella exposure in this population. However, the presence of a single IgM positive result shows the need for integrating rubella screening during antenatal care and strengthening vaccination programs to prevent congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the population.

Keywords: Rubella, Endemic, Seroprevalence, IgG, IgM, Antibodies, Seropositivity, Vaccination, Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS).