Epidemiological Aspects of Rubella in Europe

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Abstract
Krohn, E. F. (World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark). Epidemiological aspects of rubella in Europe. Int. J. Epid. 1972, 1 : 267–270. Rubella acquired after birth is of limited importance to the infected individual. Complications are few and the mortality rate very low. The disease is most frequent in the 1–4 and 5–9 year age groups, 80–90 per cent of adults have antibodies indicating a previous infection. Clinically manifest rubella during the first months of pregnancy is associated with increased frequencies of foetal deaths and congenital disorders, particularly cardiovascular malformations, cataract and deafness. Congenital malformations have been observed also following clinically inapparent rubella in the mother. It would seen that maternal viremia is the important factor and that artificial immunization will prevent the damage to the foetus to the extent to which it prevents viremia in the infected woman. Although as many as 10–15 per cent of the women who have clinical rubella during the first months of gestation, and who complete their pregnancy, will give birth to a deformed child, the frequency of congenital malformations caused by the disease is low, probably less than 1 per thousand births, or 5–10 percent of all cases of congenital malformation.

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