Case Report: An Imported Case of CRS

Ming-Yu Tzeng

2009 Vol.25 NO.3

Correspondence Author： Ming-Yu Tzeng

Abstract：

This article reports a 2 month-old female patient with rubella in Sinjhuang city. The case was reported by a medical center in northern Taiwan and investigated by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control in March 2008. Case investigation and laboratory test showed this patient was an imported case of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The patient’s mother was from China and never had rubella-containing vaccine. She might have been infected with rubella virus in the first trimester of pregnancy in China. Rubella virus then infected the patient through vertical transmission. The rapid progression from onset of the disease to death was within one month. In 1986, recipients of free rubella vaccination expanded gradually. Then Taiwan implemented the “Measles, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, Poliomyelitis and Neonatal Tetanus Eradication Program” in 1991. Since then, the annual incidence of confirmed rubella cases has been less than 1/100,000 population. Other than 3 confirmedcases of CRS in 2001, there were no locally-acquired cases in Taiwan. However, two imported cases of CRS were found in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Meanwhile, clusters of rubella in foreign laborers and international students occurred in Miaoli, Taoyuan, Taipei and Changhua. The number of imported cases of rubella had increased. This article will describe the investigation of the imported case of CRS. We also recommend that strengthening the immunity and promoting health education among immigrants should be the focus in preventing imported cases of CRS.