Epidemiological characteristics of rubella in Wuxi City from 2015 to 2023

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of rubella in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province from 2015 to 2023, so as to provide the basis for rubella prevention and control. Methods: Data of rubella surveillance cases and laboratory tests were collected through the Chinese Measles Surveillance Information Report Management System. The temporal, regional and demographic distribution of confirmed rubella cases were analyzed using the descriptive epidemiological method. Results: A total of 2 167 rubella surveillance cases were reported in Wuxi City from 2015 to 2023, including 154 confirmed rubella cases, with an average annual reported incidence of 0.25/105. All the confirmed cases were laboratory-confirmed, and the positive rate of laboratory testing was 7.11%. The main clinical symptoms were rash (96.75%) and fever (86.36%). The incidence of rubella peaked in 2015 and 2019, with sporadic cases in other years. Rubella incidence exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern, and the prevalent months were from February to May. Xishan District and Huishan District had the higher reported incidences, at 0.44/105 and 0.42/105, respectively. There were 101 male confirmed rubella cases and 53 female cases, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.91∶1. The incidence was higher in males than in females (0.32/105 vs. 0.18/105, P<0.05). The majority of cases were aged 19 to <46 years, with 112 cases accounting for 72.73%. There were 43 workers (27.92%) and 27 housekeepers and unemployed individuals (17.53%). The rubella containing vaccine immunization rate among the confirmed rubella cases was 12.99%, which was lower than the 36.20% among the cases excluding measles and rubella (P<0.05). The majority of the individuals aged 19 years and above had unknown immunization histories. Conclusions: The reported incidence of rubella in Wuxi City remained low from 2015 to 2023. The disease was prevalent in winter and spring, and the cases mainly distributed in Xishan District and Huishan District. Individuals aged 19 to <46 years, males and workers were key populations for prevention and control.