Can I be vaccinated against rubella during pregnancy/nursing?
If no vaccination was given before pregnancy and no childhood rubella infection has been experienced, any contact with potentially ill persons must be avoided. During pregnancy there is unfortunately no possibility to catch up on the vaccination afterwards. The MMR vaccine is a live vaccine which must not be administered during pregnancy.
Even after such a vaccination, pregnancy should be avoided within the next month, as there is an increased risk of numerous malformations in the unborn child. However, if a vaccination is administered, this is not a criterion for abortion. During the breastfeeding period, however, vaccination is possible at any time.
Even babies who are still breastfed can receive a rubella vaccination without any problems. Unvaccinated pregnant women should keep the risk of infection as low as possible and avoid events with many small children. Children in the vicinity of a pregnant woman can still be vaccinated against rubella. This does not pose a risk to the pregnant woman, but rather protects her from a rubella infection from the immediate vicinity.
Single vaccination or combined vaccination?
In general, combination vaccines are preferred to individual vaccines. This has the simple advantage, for example, that with the MMR vaccine only a single injection is required instead of three injections. This reduces the emotional stress during a visit to the doctor, especially for children.
There is no need to fear that the immune system will be overwhelmed by combination vaccines, as the immune system reacts quickly and adequately to the antigens administered even in childhood. A combination vaccine is not worse tolerated than a single vaccine. On the contrary, a single injection reduces the possibility of side effects.
In addition, the probability of a local reaction is lower because there is only one injection site. The second MMR vaccination is often combined with a vaccination against chickenpox (varicella) (MMRV vaccination). There are no real disadvantages of the combination vaccine compared to the single vaccines.
