IntroductionIn line with the regional aim of eliminating rubella and congenital rubella
syndrome (CRS), phased introduction of rubella-containing vaccines (RCV) in
the Philippines’ routine immunization programme began in 2010. We
estimated the burden of CRS in the country before widespread nationwide
programmatic RCV use.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review in four tertiary hospitals.
Children born between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2014 and identified as
possible CRS cases based on the presence of one or more potential
manifestations of CRS documented in hospital or clinic charts were reviewed.
Cases that met the clinical case definition of CRS were classified as either
confirmed (with laboratory confirmation) or probable (without laboratory
confirmation). Cases that did not fulfil the criteria for either confirmed
or probable CRS were excluded from the analysis.ResultsWe identified 18 confirmed and 201 probable cases in this review. Depending
on the hospital, the estimated incidence of CRS ranged from 30 to 233 cases
per 100 000 live births. The estimated national burden of CRS was 20
to 31 cases per 100 000 annually.DiscussionThis is the first attempt to assess the national CRS burden using in-country
hospital data in the Philippines. Prospective surveillance for CRS and
further strengthening of the ongoing measles-rubella surveillance are
necessary to establish accurate estimates of the burden of CRS and the
impact of programmatic RCV use in the future.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.