Background: The World Health Organization European Region has a goal for rubella elimination and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) prevention. Although all Member States recommend a rubella-containing vaccine in their national immunization programs, rubella and CRS continue to occur, and surveillance quality varies throughout the region.
Methods: To describe the status of regional rubella and CRS surveillance and assess progress toward elimination, we reviewed surveillance practices by surveying all 53 Member States and analyzed rubella and CRS surveillance data during 2005-2009.
Results: Overall, 41 (91%) of 45 responding Member States have nationwide rubella surveillance, and 39 (87%) have nationwide CRS surveillance. During 2005-2009, rubella cases reported in the region decreased by 94% from 206,359 cases to 11,623 cases. The greatest decrease (99%) was observed in newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. In the rest of the region, high rubella incidence was observed in Poland, Romania, Italy, and San Marino during 2005-2008 and in Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Austria in 2009. A total of 68 CRS cases were reported during 2005-2009.
Conclusions: As the foundation to achieving and verifying rubella elimination, high-quality rubella and CRS surveillance needs to be implemented and sustained in all Member States.
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2011.