Epidemiology of rubella and congenital rubella infection in Japan

During the last two decades, the Japanese mainland experienced three rubella epidemics; the first occurred in the latter half of 1960, the second in 1975-1977, and the third in 1981-1982. A retrospective study done after the first outbreak identified 49 newborns with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kono, R, Hirayama, M, Sugishita, C, Miyamura, K
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:During the last two decades, the Japanese mainland experienced three rubella epidemics; the first occurred in the latter half of 1960, the second in 1975-1977, and the third in 1981-1982. A retrospective study done after the first outbreak identified 49 newborns with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). In contrast, the Ryukyu Islands were swept by a rubella epidemic in 1964-1965, and 408 babies with CRS were born, giving an incidence of 20 per 1,000 births. The number of babies with CRS on the mainland was fewer than that observed on the Ryukyu Islands, and clinical illness appeared milder for these two poulations than had previously been experienced. These observations seem to support a hypothesis that the teratogenicity of circulating rubella virus is lower in Japan than in the United States.
ISSN:0162-0886