THE CHANGE IN RUBELLA AND CYTOMEGALOVIRUS SEROPOSITIVITY RATES IN PREGNANT SYRIAN REFUGEES ACCORDING TO YEARS AND COMPARED TO THE LOCAL POPULATION IN KAHRAMANMARAS

We aimed to evaluate the rates of Rubella and Cytomegalovirus congenital infection agents in pregnant Syrian refugees and to compare these with the local population infection rates over time to determine whether or there was compatibility with the region of settlement. A retrospective examination was made of the Rubella and Cytomegalovirus seroprevalence in all pregnant patients who presented at our hospital for normal prenatal follow-up between January 2012 and July 2021. The pregnant women were grouped as local population and Syrian refugees, and in year groups of 2012-2016, and 2017-2021. The results were compared proportionally according to the time periods. In the 2012-2016 time period, the rubella IgM and IgG seropositivity of the Syrian patients was determined to be statistically significantly higher than that of the local population (p=0.013, p=0.003, respectively). When evaluated in the first and second time periods, there was seen to be a statistically significant proportional decrease in the rubella IgM and IgG seropositivity of the Syrian patients (p=0.006, p=0.005, respectively). When the groups were compared in respect of CMV IgM seropositivity, there was seen to be a significant difference between the groups in the first period (p=0.011). The change over time in the Syrian refugees was statistically significant (p=0.026). In the second time period, the difference between the Syrian refugees and the local population was not statistically significant (p=0.793). In the period of 2012 to 2016, when there was a great increase in the wave of Syrian refugees into Turkey, the seropositivity rates were seen to be significantly high in comparison with the local population. In the second time period examined in this study, there was determined to have been a significant decrease in the rates, most likely in parallel with the access to better living conditions in that time.