Many countries introduced rubella-containing vaccination (RCV) after 2011, following changes in recommended World Health Organization (WHO) vaccination strategies and external support. We evaluated the impact of these introductions.
We estimated the country-specific, region-specific and global Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) incidence during 1996-2019 using mathematical modelling, including routine and campaign vaccination coverage and seroprevalence data.
In 2019, WHO African and Eastern Mediterranean regions had the highest estimated CRS incidence (64 (95% CI: 24-123) and 27 (95% CI: 4-67) per 100,000 live births respectively), where nearly half of births occur in countries that have introduced RCV. Other regions, where >95% of births occurred in countries which had introduced RCV, had a low estimated CRS incidence (<1 (95% CI: <1-8) and <1 (95% CI: <1-12) per 100,000 live births in South East Asia (SEAR) and the Western Pacific (WPR) respectively, and similarly in Europe and the Americas). The estimated number of CRS births globally declined by approximately two thirds during 2010-2019, from 100,000 (95% CI: 54,000-166,000) to 32,000 (95% CI: 13,000-60,000), representing a 73% reduction since 1996, largely following RCV introductions in WPR and SEAR, where the greatest reductions occurred.
Further reductions can occur by introducing RCV in remaining countries and maintaining high RCV coverage.

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