A seven-day-old baby from Meskom village, Bengkalis regency, Riau has died after being infected by the rubella virus.

The baby had been in intensive care since his birth on June 22 suffering from cataracts and congenital heart disease. A pediatrician diagnosed the baby with rubella on June 24.

Rubella, also known as German measles, is caused by the rubella virus and usually only lasts about three days. But infections in pregnant women can lead to miscarriages or permanent deformities.

"A sample of the baby's blood was taken and sent to Pekanbaru for a laboratory test," Bengkalis Health Agency disease prevention and control head Alwizar said on Wednesday. "On June 27, the results showed that it was positive for rubella."

The baby's condition worsened on June 28, and he died on June 29 despite being fitted with a ventilator.

Alwizar said that it was likely that the baby caught the rubella virus in utero.

"The mother is suspected of having been exposed to the virus outside of Bengkalis, because during her first trimester she traveled to meet her relatives from outside the province," he said.

The government promoted a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization campaign last year, but it met resistance in several provinces because of concerns that the vaccine contained pork gelatin, which is forbidden in Islam.

According to Riau Health Agency head Mimi Yuliani Nazir, the MMR vaccination coverage in Riau was only 45 percent.

"In these conditions, children and pregnant mothers in Riau are very vulnerable to being exposed to rubella," she said. (kmt)

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