kim taeyeon
Why do I need to be screened for immunity to rubella?
In the United States, your chances of being exposed to rubella (also known as German measles) are extremely low. But you need to know whether you're immune.
If you're not immune to rubella and you come down with this illness during early pregnancy, it could be devastating for your baby. You could have a miscarriage or your baby could end up with multiple birth defects and developmental problems. Congenital rubella syndrome, or CRS, is the name given to the pattern of problems caused when a baby is born with the virus.
So if you weren't screened for rubella immunity before you got pregnant, you'll have this blood test at your first prenatal appointment.
Fortunately, experts estimate that about 90 percent of the U.S. population over 5 years old is immune to rubella, either because they've been immunized against it or because they had the illness as a child. (People born in countries without routine rubella vaccination programs are less likely to be immune.)
By the way, German measles is not the same as regular measles (rubeola), and having immunity from one illness does not protect you from the other.
How common is rubella?
Rubella has become quite rare in the United States, thanks to a very successful vaccination program. Before the rubella vaccine was developed in 1969, a rubella epidemic in 1964 and 1965 caused 12.5 million cases of the disease and 20,000 cases of CRS in the United States. In contrast, between 2001 and 2005, there were a total of 68 reported cases of rubella and five reported cases of CRS. And in 2006, there were just 11 reported cases of rubella and only one case of CRS.
That said, rubella outbreaks have occurred sporadically in the United States over the years, so it's still crucial to have your children vaccinated and to get vaccinated yourself (when you're not pregnant) if you're not already immune.
In addition, about a third of the world's countries still lack rubella
In the United States, your chances of being exposed to rubella (also known as German measles) are extremely low. But you need to know whether you're immune.
If you're not immune to rubella and you come down with this illness during early pregnancy, it could be devastating for your baby. You could have a miscarriage or your baby could end up with multiple birth defects and developmental problems. Congenital rubella syndrome, or CRS, is the name given to the pattern of problems caused when a baby is born with the virus.
So if you weren't screened for rubella immunity before you got pregnant, you'll have this blood test at your first prenatal appointment.
Fortunately, experts estimate that about 90 percent of the U.S. population over 5 years old is immune to rubella, either because they've been immunized against it or because they had the illness as a child. (People born in countries without routine rubella vaccination programs are less likely to be immune.)
By the way, German measles is not the same as regular measles (rubeola), and having immunity from one illness does not protect you from the other.
How common is rubella?
Rubella has become quite rare in the United States, thanks to a very successful vaccination program. Before the rubella vaccine was developed in 1969, a rubella epidemic in 1964 and 1965 caused 12.5 million cases of the disease and 20,000 cases of CRS in the United States. In contrast, between 2001 and 2005, there were a total of 68 reported cases of rubella and five reported cases of CRS. And in 2006, there were just 11 reported cases of rubella and only one case of CRS.
That said, rubella outbreaks have occurred sporadically in the United States over the years, so it's still crucial to have your children vaccinated and to get vaccinated yourself (when you're not pregnant) if you're not already immune.
In addition, about a third of the world's countries still lack rubella