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Table 1 WHO case definitions for congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) and congenital rubella infection (CRI) *

From: Identification of congenital rubella syndrome in Sudan

Case definition

Description

Suspected CRS case

Any infant less than one year of age in whom a health worker suspects CRS. A health worker should suspect CRS when the infant presents with heart disease, and/or suspicion of deafness, and/or one or more of the following eye signs: white pupil (cataract); diminished vision; pendular movement of the eyes (nystagmus); squint; smaller eye ball (micropthalmos); larger eye ball (congenital glaucoma). A health worker should suspect CRS where there is a maternal history of suspected or confirmed rubella during pregnancy.

Clinically-confirmed CRS case

A clinically-confirmed case is one in which a qualified physician detects two of the complications in section (a) OR one from group (a) and one from group (b):

(a) Cataract(s) and/or congenital glaucoma; congenital heart disease; loss of hearing; pigmentary retinopathy.

(b) Purpura; splenomegaly; microcephaly; mental retardation; meningoencephalitis; radiolucent bone disease; jaundice with onset within 24 hours after birth.

Laboratory-confirmed CRS case

A laboratory-confirmed CRS case is an infant with a positive blood test for rubella IgM who has clinically-confirmed CRS.

Congenital rubella infection (CRI)

An infant with a positive blood test for rubella IgM who does not have clinically-confirmed CRS is classified as having congenital rubella infection (CRI).

  1. *Source: WHO (1999) [13].