Sense - Sensory Impairment Sensory Impairment Rubella Recent concerns about the MMR vaccine have bought rubella back into the news. Sense has a huge amount of experience in dealing with the effects of rubella during pregnancy - it was founded over 40 years ago by a group of mothers who had all contracted rubella while pregnant. Rubella often called German Measles, is caused by a virus which is spread in the air as droplets - by coughing and sneezing. Click here to learn more about rubella.
Rubella is a relatively mild disease but if contracted by a pregnant woman can have severe effects.
Sometimes the pregnant woman will not pass the rubella virus onto her baby. However, if she has rubella in the early stages of her pregnancy there is a greater chance of the virus passing through the cord to the developing baby. More information is available in our Pregnancy and Rubella section. The effects of CRS can vary enormously, but hearing loss, visual difficulties and heart problems, are common. Vaccinating against Rubella Most women today choose to protect themselves from rubella by being immunised before they become pregnant, and this has greatly reduced the numbers of children affected.