The incidence of congenital rubella was found to be 2-3 times higher in Asian than non-Asian births in England and Wales. This was attributed in part to higher susceptibility to rubella in Asian than non-Asian women, as shown by antenatal serological data frompublic health laboratories in Leeds, Luton, andManchester. Examination of the ethnic origin of pregnant women requesting laboratory testing after contact with rubella or rash and ofwomen with laboratory confirmed rubella in pregnancy also suggested that the disease was being underdiagnosed in pregnant Asian women. Failure to prevent congenital rubella by termination of infected pregnancies may therefore contribute to the increased incidence of the syndrome in Asians. Health education programmes about the dangers of rubella in pregnancy and of the need for vaccination can readily be promoted in the Asian community through existing ethnic organisations. Protection ofother ethnic minorities likely to be at similar increased risk may require a vaccination programme aimed at national elimination of rubelia.
for those relating to issues discussed recently (within six weeks) in the BMJ. * We do not routinely acknowledge letters. Please send a stamped addressed envelope ifyou would like an acknowledgment.* Because we receive many more letters than we can publish we may shorten those we do print, particularly when we receive several on the same subject.
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.