Prevalence of Rubella Antibodies on the African Continent

Until recently, data on the epidemiology of rubella in Africa have been very scarce. However, several seroepidemiologic surveys within the last 10 years show that the virus is prevalent throughout Africa. In most of Africa rubella is contracted early in life; in areas such as the Gambia, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Mali, and parts of Kenya greater than 80% of children are immune to the virus by 10 years of age, and this level increases through adulthood. Most studies show that greater than 80% of pregnant women are immune to rubella.