1961 — Rubella (German measles) — 14

–14 USPHS Vital Statistics of the US 1961: Vol. II – Mortality, Part A Section 5 1964, p. 5-16.

Narrative Information

CDC on German Measles: “Rubella (German Measles, Three-Day Measles): Rubella is a contagious disease caused by a virus. Most people who get rubella usually have a mild illness, with symptoms that can include a low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. Rubella can cause a miscarriage or serious birth defects in a developing baby if a woman is infected while she is pregnant. The best protection against rubella is MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine.”

Transmission: “Rubella spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Also, if a woman is infected with rubella while she is pregnant, she can pass it to her developing baby and cause serious harm…. A person with rubella may spread the disease to others up to one week before the rash appears, and remain contagious up to 7 days after. However, 25% to 50% of people infected with rubella do not develop a rash or have any symptoms.

“People infected with rubella should tell friends, family, and people they work with, especially pregnant women, if they have rubella. If your child has rubella, it’s important to tell your child’s school or daycare provider.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rubella. 9-17-2017 review.)

CDC on Measles and Rubella: “Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It can result in serious health complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and even cause death.

“Rubella is a viral infection that affects unvaccinated children and young adults. If an unvaccinated woman gets rubella while pregnant – especially in her first three months – serious consequences can result, including miscarriages, fetal deaths, still births, and having infants born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).

“CRS is a group of devastating birth defects that includes blindness, deafness, and heart defects. More than 100,000 children are born every year with CRS, mainly in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific.

“What do Measles and Rubella have in common? While rubella is sometimes referred to as “German measles,” the rubella and measles viruses are unrelated and are from different virus families. However, they do have some similarities. Both viruses:

are spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing,

can result in fever and skin rash after infection, and

survive only in human hosts.

“Measles and rubella can be prevented with vaccines that can be delivered together as a combined measles-rubella (MR) vaccine, or combined with vaccines against mumps (MMR) and varicella (chickenpox) (MMRV).” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts about Measles & Rubella. 8-31-2017 review.)

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts about Measles & Rubella. 8-31-2017 review. Accessed 5-5-2019 at: https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/measles/facts.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rubella. 9-17-2017 review. Accessed 5-5-2019 at: https://www.cdc.gov/rubella/index.html

Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Vital Statistics of The United States 1961, Volume II – Mortality, Part A. Washington, DC: U.S. GPO, 1964. Accessed 11-6-2022 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1961_2A.pdf