The Disease

German measles is nearly always a mild illness of little consequence. There is one, important, exception, to this. If a pregnant woman who is not protected against rubella (either from having caught the illness or having been vaccinated) catches German measles, then her baby is at risk of contracting the infection and being born damaged from congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). This can result in deafness, blindness, heart damage and brain damage.¹

In all other situations, German measles is usually a mild illness that causes a pink-red rash, mild fever and, typically, swollen glands (lymph nodes) at the back of the neck. The disease is harmless and serious complications are almost unknown.² Up to half of all people who catch German measles do not even get ill at all.³ However, it may cause temporarily painful joints in adults, and rarely causes a mild inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) in about 1 in 6,000 infections, though recovery is normally complete. A rare bleeding disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) very occasionally follows an attack of German measles.⁴

The Vaccine

The vaccine is ‘live’, containing live rubella virus that has been altered (attenuated) to become relatively harmless.

Effectiveness

19 out of 20 children will be protected following immunisation.⁵

When is the vaccine given?

The vaccination can be given at any age from 12 months. The vaccine is suitable for adult women.

Side effects

Side effects after the vaccine are uncommon, though a few people will have symptoms of a mild attack of German measles, such as a fever and rash, a few days after immunisation.

Rarely the vaccine causes joints in the body to become painful (an arthralgia); this is more likely to occur in older children or adults than in young children. Though symptoms generally settle within a few days, they can occasionally persist for over a year.⁶

The choices

Rudivax
Type of vaccine:	Single live rubella vaccine
Manufacturer:	Sanofi Pasteur (France)
Protects against:	Rubella (German measles)
Active ingredients:	Wistar RA27/3M strain of rubella virus
Mercury content:	Nil
Aluminium content:	Nil
Other ingredients:	neomycin
Primary course:	Single dose from the age of 12 months
Boosters:	A second dose is only necessary if he first dose did not work. This can be checked with a blood test

The supply of single and small combination vaccines may change over time. At BabyJabs we are on the constant lookout for safe and effective vaccines to offer your child. We may obtain different vaccines to those listed above. We will only offer you alternative vaccines if we are completely confident of their safety and efficacy.


Go back to vaccines at a glance

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¹ Miller E. Rubella in the United Kingdom. Epidemiology & Infection 1991; 107(1): 31-42.

² Poindexter MH. Rubella. Journal – Lancet 1959; 79(5): 193-5.

³ Graham Davies E et al. Manual of Childhood Infections. Royal Colleges of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2001.

⁴ Graham Davies E et al. Manual of Childhood Infections 2nd Ed. Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health. W.B.Saunders 2001.

⁵ Immunisation against Infectious Disease. HMSO; 1988.

⁶ Tingle AJ. Allen M. Petty RE. Kettyls GD. Chantler JK. Rubella-associated arthritis. I. Comparative study of joint manifestations associated with natural rubella infection and RA 27/3 rubella immunisation. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 1986; 45(2): 110-4.