Associated Press
CHICAGO — Rubella, or German measles, a disease that once infected tens of thousands of people a year and was responsible for numerous birth defects, is on the verge of being eliminated in the United States, researchers say.
Cases of rubella have fallen from almost 58,000 in 1969, the year the vaccine was introduced, to 272 in 1999, according to a study in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
Almost all cases of the disease in the United States now are among Hispanic adults born in other countries, primarily Mexico — meaning the virus may no longer be circulating in the general U.S. population, said Dr. Susan Reef of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rubella, which typically causes a mild rash, was considered harmless until the 1940s, when it was discovered that it could cause birth defects in children whose mothers were infected while pregnant. The virus can cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as problems for babies.
The goal now should be to educate foreign-born people about rubella, ensure that doctors ask patients about vaccinations, and perhaps help other countries with their vaccination programs, Reef said.
Rubella and birth defects caused by it "can be prevented with just one dose," she said.
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