Rubella

Abstract

For decades, rubella, also known as the “German measles,” was considered a mild viral infection of childhood manifesting with fevers, rash, and lymphadenopathy. In the 1940s, the association between rubella infection during pregnancy and devastating fetal effects, including but not limited to hearing loss, cataracts, and cardiac defects, led to the push for developing a rubella vaccine. During the US rubella epidemic between 1964 and 1965, more than 20,000 infants were born with congenital rubella syndrome, leaving 8000 children deaf and over 3500 children blind. In the United States, the introduction of a live attenuated rubella vaccine subsequently led to a > 99% decline in the incidence of infection. Currently there are fewer than ten cases of rubella infection each year in the United States, most of which are import-related.