Congenital rubella syndrome

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (U.S.)

Chapter 15 of: Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases. 5th edition, 2012. Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is an illness resulting from rubella virus infection during pregnancy. When rubella infection occurs during early pregnancy, serious consequences—such as miscarriages, stillbirths, and a constellation of severe birth defects in infants can result. The risk of congenital infection and defects is highest during the first 12 weeks of gestation and decreases after the 12th week of gestation with defects rare after the 20th week of gestation. Common congenital defects of CRS include cataracts, congenital heart disease, hearing impairment, and developmental delay. Infants with CRS usually present with more than one sign or symptom consistent with congenital rubella infection. However, infants may present with a single defect. Hearing impairment is the most common single defect. chpt15-crs.pdf

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