The U.S. Public Health Service · Episode 31 of 34 · 39 min
Rubella: The Mild Disease That Maimed the Unborn (1941–2004)
Rubella is a faint rash in a child but devastating in the unborn, causing Congenital Rubella Syndrome with deafness, blindness, and lifelong damage. An Australian eye doctor first connected the dots in 1941, and the 1964 to 1965 U.S. epidemic harmed some 20,000 babies. The vaccine aimed to protect the children of people who might catch it, and the U.S. declared rubella eliminated in 2004.
Who's who
- Norman GreggAustralian eye doctor who linked maternal rubella to birth defects in 1941
- Stanley Plotkin+1 more episodeDeveloped the RA 27/3 rubella vaccine strain at the Wistar Institute
Where it happens
- Wistar Institute, Philadelphia+1 more episodeWhere the RA 27/3 vaccine strain was developed
Timeline
- 1941Gregg links maternal rubella to congenital cataracts
- 1964-1965U.S. epidemic leaves about 20,000 babies harmed before birth
- 1971Rubella vaccine combined into MMR
- 1979RA 27/3 strain becomes the U.S. standard
- 2004U.S. declares rubella eliminated
Still debated
The epidemic figures are standard but approximate. Elimination is not eradication, since rubella remains endemic in parts of the world and U.S. cases are imported, and the epidemic's toll included many pregnancies ended for fear of severe damage.
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