Rubella is an airborne viral infection that is highly contagious. The classic symptoms of Rubella are mild fever, conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eyes), enlarged lymph nodes (in the back of the head, neck and behind the ears) and a rash that appears on the face and spreads down to the trunk and limbs. The rash usually lasts for 3 days and disappears in the order of appearance. A person can be contagious a week before and after the rash appears. Many of the cases have no symptoms.

Rubella is a very mild disease but it is very dangerous to pregnant women and their fetuses which can cause Rubella Congenital Syndrome (CRS). The Rubella virus can cause severe damage to the fetus, including hearing loss, brain deformities, mental retardation, blindness, heart defects, liver inflammation and more. The earlier the pregnancy the higher the risk therefore in the first trimester the risk of developing CRS is about 85 - 90%.

The only way to prevent Rubella infection and CRS is by vaccination.
The MMR vaccination (Mumps, Measles and Rubella) is a routine vaccination given at the age of 1 year and 4-6 years of age. Every woman in the child bearing age should be checked and her immune status for Rubella should be confirmed before falling pregnant. It is recommended that any one who has not yet been vaccinated for MMR to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

On that note, the MMR vaccination has been proven by many researchers to be very safe. Family Medical Practice has MMR vaccinations that do not contain Mercury.

Wishing you all good health.

Dr Jonathan