There are different type of measles caused by various
viruses. Most do not cause problems during pregnancy. The type that has the
most severe effects during pregnancy is caused by rubella virus and is known as
German measles. Since 1969, when a vaccine for rubella became available,
preschool and young school-age children
have been vaccinated. It has been estimated that about 75-80% of the population
is protected against rubella by the time they reach childbearing age because
they have been exposed to the disease, have had it, or have been vaccinated.
Once infected with rubella virus, you are immune for life, even if the
infection doesn’t actually make you ill.
It is fortunate that so few people are now susceptible to
rubella, because the virus can cause birth defects and long-term disorders in
babies who are exposed to the virus while their mothers were pregnant. The risk
depends on when infection occurred during the first month, about 50% of the
babies will be affected. By the third month, the risk is lowered to about 10%.
The most common problems include cataracts (an eye problem that can cause
blindness), heart defects, and deafness-together called congenital rubella
syndrome. Other disorders, such as diabetes, can develop later in life.
As a routine part of prenatal care, each pregnant woman is
tested for antibodies to show whether she is immune to rubella. If there are
sings that a women is not immune but may have been exposed to rubella or if she
develops symptoms (fever, rash swollen lymph glands), she will be tested
again. If the diagnosis of rubella infection during pregnancy is confirmed, a
type of immunoglobulin may be given. If the women has been exposed to rubella
but has not developed the disease, the immunoglobulin may prevent her from
becoming ill. It will not prevent the fetus from being affected, however.
Because rubella can give such a severe impact on the fetus
and because nothing can be done during pregnancy to protect the fetus, it is
best that a women receive the rubella vaccine before she becomes pregnant. A
woman who has not had rubella or the vaccine could be vaccinated just after
delivery, before she becomes pregnant again. Although the vaccine does not
cause congenital rubella syndrome, the virus in the vaccine may be able to
infect the fetus. Therefore, it is best to wait 3 month after receiving the
vaccine during early pregnancy, however, the risk that the baby will have a
problem is very low.
