What is Rubella and What Causes It?
These days, rubella is a milder infection in children than it used to be (same as measles), thanks to mandatory vaccinations. It’s similar to the measles, but it’s a different virus altogether. Rubella is a very serious illness for the unborn. If the mother of an unborn child contracts rubella during the first trimester of her pregnancy, there is a 25 percent chance that the baby will be born with defects, referred to as congenital rubella syndrome. Birth defects can include vision loss or blindness, hearing loss, heart defects, mental and physical retardation, and cerebral palsy. The infection can also cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Later in pregnancy, the risk of contracting congenital rubella syndrome is considered very low.
