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1962–1965 rubella epidemic

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US outbreak of rubella
1962–1965 rubella epidemic
DiseaseRubella
Virus strainRubella virus
LocationUS, Europe
Date1962–1965

The 1962–1965 rubella epidemic was an outbreak of rubella across Europe and the United States. The Rubella virus, also known as the German measles, is a single-stranded RNA virus from the family Togaviridae and genus Rubivirus. Typically, the virus is transmitted via droplets, such as coughing or sneezing, however, congenital rubella can be passed on from a pregnant woman to her fetus. The disease itself is fairly mild, usually presenting with a rash on the face and general sickness symptoms, such as coughing, fever, and fatigue, however, the real danger lies in Rubella infections in women who are pregnant. Pregnant women with Rubella are at risk of having a miscarriage or having a baby born with multiple birth defects due to Congenital rubella syndrome.

It affected around 12.5 million people in the US. An estimated 11,000 pregnancies ended in miscarriage or stillbirth, just over 2,000 newborn babies died, and of those that survived around 20,000 babies had congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The amount of pregnant women affected by the disease had great repercussions on outlook of abortion. Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, eight years after the Rubella epidemic that gave many Americans a different view on the termination of a pregnancy.

The epidemic led the drive to develop a vaccine which has helped the United States to see as little as 10 new Rubella cases a year.

History

Due to the mild symptoms of Rubella, the disease was able to exist in many countries without much notice or attention. However, in 1942 an Australian ophthalmologist, Norman Gregg, realized that the virus caused birth defects. This led to many scientists and doctors putting more effort into understanding the disease and finding ways to prevent it. Twenty years after this discovery, an outbreak of Rubella took place in Europe and eventually made it way over to the United States.

Abortion as Treatment

With new information out about the effects of the Rubella virus on a fetus, some expectant women and physicians wanted the termination of the pregnancy to be an option. Abortion was illegal in the United States at the height of this epidemic, however, physicians were allowed to perform therapeutic abortions if the believed the mother would be in danger or the fetus would be non-viable or suffer sever damage.

See also

References

  1. Howson, Christopher P.; Howe, Cynthia J.; Fineberg, Harvey V. (1991). "2. Histories of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines". Adverse Effects of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines: A Report of the Committee to Review the Adverse Consequences of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines. National Academies Press (US). pp. 9–31.
  2. Plotkin, S. A. (14 May 2001). "Rubella eradication". Vaccine. 19 (25–26): 3311–3319. doi:10.1016/s0264-410x(01)00073-1. ISSN 0264-410X. PMID 11348695.
  3. Parkman, Paul D. (1996), Baron, Samuel (ed.), "Togaviruses: Rubella Virus", Medical Microbiology (4th ed.), Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, ISBN 978-0-9631172-1-2, PMID 21413314, retrieved 2024-04-30
  4. ^ "Rubella in the United States | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  5. "Rashes to Research: Scientists and Parents Confront the 1964 Rubella Epidemic | NLM". www.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  6. Sever, John L.; Nelson, Karin B.; Gilkeson, Mary Ruth (1 October 1965). "Rubella Epidemic, 1964: Effect on 6,000 Pregnancies: I. Preliminary Clinical and Laboratory Findings Through the Neonatal Period: A Report From the Collaborative Study on Cerebral Palsy". American Journal of Diseases of Children. 110 (4): 395–407. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1965.02090030415009. ISSN 0002-922X. PMID 4158019.
  7. Reagan, Leslie J. (2012). Dangerous Pregnancies: Mothers, Disabilities, and Abortion in Modern America. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27457-0.
  8. "Roe v. Wade v. Rubella". Science History Institute. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  9. Vesikari, Timo; Usonis, Vytautas (2021). "9. Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine". In Vesikari, Timo; Damme, Pierre Van (eds.). Pediatric Vaccines and Vaccinations: A European Textbook (Second ed.). Switzerland: Springer. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-3-030-77172-0.
  10. Cooper, L. Z. (1985). "The history and medical consequences of rubella". Reviews of Infectious Diseases. 7 (Suppl 1): S2–10. doi:10.1093/clinids/7.supplement_1.s2. ISSN 0162-0886. PMID 3890105.
  11. Plotkin, Stanley A. (November 2006). "The History of Rubella and Rubella Vaccination Leading to Elimination". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 43 (Supplement_3): S164–S168. doi:10.1086/505950. ISSN 1537-6591. PMID 16998777.
  12. Devereux, Mary (2011-03-01). "Dangerous pregnancies". The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 121 (3): 826. doi:10.1172/JCI46158. ISSN 0021-9738. PMC 3049382.

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