What is Rubella?

Rubella is a viral infection. It is also sometimes called German measles or Three Day Measles. Most children are vaccinated against rubella. However, it still occurs in children and young adults who have not been vaccinated or have lost their immunity. The infection is often mild with a fever and rash that last about 3 days. Some people have no symptoms at all.

Why is Rubella a problem for pregnant women?

If a pregnant woman gets rubella, her unborn baby may also become infected. This is called congenital rubella.

Congenital rubella may cause heart disease, deafness, and blindness. Almost every organ in the baby can be infected. Even though a baby born to a mother who had congenital rubella may look normal at birth, any of these problems may develop as the baby gets older: stunted growth, glaucoma, small eyes, small head and brain, blindness and/or cataracts.

When a pregnant woman, who has never had rubella or the rubella vaccine, gets the disease in the first 2 months of pregnancy, she may lose the pregnancy or the baby may be born with serious problems. In the 3rd or 4th month of pregnancy, about half of the babies will have serious problems if the mother is infected with rubella. After 5 months of pregnancy rubella infection rarely causes problems.

How common is Rubella?

Most children get rubella or are vaccinated by age 15. Children who do not get the vaccine have a high risk of getting rubella and can give rubella to pregnant women. Because rubella is so mild, many people do not remember if they had the disease as a child. A blood test can be done to check if a person has had rubella or has immunity from previous vaccination. Once a person has had rubella vaccine, she is usually protected from getting rubella, However, over time the immunity may decrease so your doctor will make sure you are still immune at your first prenatal visit by checking a blood test. It is best to test for rubella during a preconception screen before a planned pregnancy and give the vaccine at least 1 month before the planned pregnancy.

What are the symptoms of Rubella?

The symptoms of rubella include a slight fever, rash, and swelling of neck glands. This often lasts about three days. However, many people have no symptoms at all. In children, the first sign of infection is a rash. In teenagers and adults, low-grade fever, headache, cold symptoms, and swollen glands occur 1 to 5 days before the rash appears. Sometimes women will have swelling and aching in their joints for a week or two.

What happens if my baby is born with Rubella?

A baby born with rubella can give rubella to others and must be kept away (isolated) from other babies. If your baby is born with rubella you may stay with your baby but away from other mothers and babies. The baby may continue to be infectious for about one year, but can be up to two years. This means he/she should not be around pregnant women who have not had rubella.

How do we know whether a person has had Rubella?

A blood test can be done to see whether a person has had the disease or is immune from the vaccine. A negative rubella blood test means the person can get rubella if exposed to the disease. If a pregnant woman has a negative rubella blood test she should stay away from anyone who has this illness.

What is Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine (MMR)?

Rubella vaccine comes in a combination with 2 other diseases; measles, and mumps. This vaccine is called MMR. MMR vaccine is often given to children at about 15 months of age. Since the MMR vaccine cannot be given during pregnancy, a pregnant woman with a negative rubella test is given the MMR vaccine soon after the birth of her baby.

This protects her from getting the disease in the future.

What else should I know about Rubella vaccine?

• Women who are breastfeeding may receive Rubella vaccine.
• You should not become pregnant for 1 month after getting the rubella vaccine.
• It is safe to give Rubella vaccine to a child whose mother is pregnant and not immune to rubella.