The Volta Region is currently facing a concerning rise in Rubella cases, alongside reports of measles outbreaks in several districts.
This surge has coincided with a significant number of children—9,495 in the first half of this year—missing their Measles-Rubella vaccinations, which has heightened public health concerns.
Rubella, a highly contagious viral disease, spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. While most children and adults experience only mild symptoms such as fever and rash, the disease is particularly dangerous for pregnant women.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if a woman contracts rubella early in her pregnancy, there is a 90% chance that she will pass the virus to her fetus, leading to severe complications.
“Rubella in pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or infants with congenital malformations, known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS),” the WHO warns.
Symptoms of Rubella
In children, rubella typically causes mild symptoms, including a rash, low fever (below 39°C), nausea, and mild conjunctivitis. The rash, which appears in 50-80% of cases, usually begins on the face and neck before spreading down the body and lasts 1-3 days. Swollen lymph glands behind the ears and in the neck are the most distinctive signs of the disease. In adults, particularly women, rubella can cause arthritis and painful joints, with symptoms lasting from 3 to 10 days.
After initial infection, the rubella virus spreads throughout the body in about 5-7 days, with symptoms appearing 2-3 weeks after exposure. The period when an infected person is most contagious is usually 1-5 days after the rash appears.
The rubella vaccine is a live attenuated strain, and a single dose gives more than 95% long-lasting immunity, which is similar to that induced by natural infection.
Rubella vaccines are available either in monovalent formulation (a vaccine directed at only one pathogen) or more commonly in combinations with other vaccines such as with vaccines against measles (MR), measles and mumps (MMR), or measles, mumps and varicella (MMRV).
Adverse reactions following vaccination are generally mild. They may include pain and redness at the injection site, low-grade fever, rash and muscle aches.
Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS)
When a pregnant woman contracts rubella, particularly in the early stages of pregnancy, there is a high risk of passing the virus to the fetus, resulting in Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS). According to WHO, children born with CRS can suffer from severe health issues such as hearing impairments, eye and heart defects, and other lifelong disabilities like autism, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid dysfunction. Managing these conditions often requires extensive and costly medical care.
Countries where women of childbearing age lack immunity to rubella, either through vaccination or previous infection, face the highest risk of CRS. Before the introduction of the rubella vaccine, up to four out of every 1,000 live births could result in CRS, the WHO adds.
Meanwhile, Regional Director of Health Service for the Volta Region, Dr. Chrysantus Kubio, has called for immediate measures to address the gaps in routine immunization and the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in the region. Speaking at the Stakeholders’ Engagement and Second Quarter Risk Communication Sub-Committee Meeting, Dr. Kubio emphasized the urgent need to increase demand for vaccines.
Dr. Senanu Dzokoto also highlighted the significant public health risk posed by failing to vaccinate all eligible children against preventable diseases. To address this, a national mass vaccination campaign is planned from October 2nd to October 6th, 2024, across all districts in Ghana, including the Volta Region.
National Vaccination Campaigns
The upcoming vaccination campaign aims to stop the spread of rubella and measles and improve overall vaccination coverage in the region. This initiative follows the 2018 national Measles-Rubella vaccination and Vitamin A supplement campaign, launched by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Health Partners. The 2018 campaign, under the theme “Measles-Rubella Kills; Vaccinate Your Child Now for Good Life,” aimed to immunize over four million children aged 9 months to under 5 years across all 216 districts in Ghana.