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Thought this was interesting since many deaf people's mothers had rubella when pregnant. Notice it doesn't recommend ceasing immunization though. (This is a wire story so reprinting is okay.)
http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/03/19/rubella/index.html
March 19, 2005 | WASHINGTON -- German measles, which expectant mothers once feared contracting because of prenatal complications, is no longer a health threat in the United States, federal authorities say.
Medical experts welcomed the word Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but said it doesn't mean there should be a letup in childhood vaccinations for rubella, the formal name for German measles.
While U.S. residents no longer develop German measles and pass it on to others in this country, the disease can still be imported through visitors from foreign countries.
``It is not the case we can stop immunizing. We must continue to keep immunizing,'' said Dr. Greg Poland, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. ``Continued cases come in, particularly from the southern border. It's still an active disease in Mexico.''
Dr. Ronald Davis, a trustee at the American Medical Association, said the eradication of rubella among U.S. citizens gives the nation all the evidence it needs that it should do a better job at vaccinating the population from other diseases, such as influenza and hepatitis B.
He said he remains worried that some people will take the news about rubella the wrong way.
``What public health officials worry about is that when disease levels go down, public attention wanes and immunization rates may decline. Then the disease occurrence could rebound,'' Davis said.
Children generally get their first vaccination dose for rubella at about 12 months of age. They are supposed to get a second dosage when they become of school age, Poland said.
http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/03/19/rubella/index.html
March 19, 2005 | WASHINGTON -- German measles, which expectant mothers once feared contracting because of prenatal complications, is no longer a health threat in the United States, federal authorities say.
Medical experts welcomed the word Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but said it doesn't mean there should be a letup in childhood vaccinations for rubella, the formal name for German measles.
While U.S. residents no longer develop German measles and pass it on to others in this country, the disease can still be imported through visitors from foreign countries.
``It is not the case we can stop immunizing. We must continue to keep immunizing,'' said Dr. Greg Poland, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. ``Continued cases come in, particularly from the southern border. It's still an active disease in Mexico.''
Dr. Ronald Davis, a trustee at the American Medical Association, said the eradication of rubella among U.S. citizens gives the nation all the evidence it needs that it should do a better job at vaccinating the population from other diseases, such as influenza and hepatitis B.
He said he remains worried that some people will take the news about rubella the wrong way.
``What public health officials worry about is that when disease levels go down, public attention wanes and immunization rates may decline. Then the disease occurrence could rebound,'' Davis said.
Children generally get their first vaccination dose for rubella at about 12 months of age. They are supposed to get a second dosage when they become of school age, Poland said.
