What is the name of the rubella vaccine?
Rubella vaccination is given with a so-called live virus vaccine, which contains attenuated rubella viruses for immunization. It is given as a combination mumps-measles-rubella or mumps-measles-rubella varicella vaccine.
The approved mumps-measles-rubella live virus vaccines are called M-M-RVAXPRO and Priorix.
The approved mumps-measles-rubella live virus vaccines are called: Priorix-Tetra and ProQuad.
There is no rubella vaccination as a single vaccine. No single rubella vaccine has been available in Germany since 2012.
How does the rubella vaccine work?
The rubella vaccine contains attenuated, replicable viruses that no longer cause disease. It is injected into a muscle (intramuscularly), usually directly into the upper arm, thigh, or buttock. In response, the body begins to produce specific defense substances (antibodies) against the viruses.
A complete rubella vaccination usually protects against infection for life. However, it is possible to have the vaccination refreshed at any time.
What is the vaccination reaction like?
After the rubella vaccination, in rare cases there are adverse reactions of the body, colloquially known as side effects. In some vaccinees, the skin at the injection site reddens and swells slightly. Occasionally, general signs of illness such as fatigue or fever also occur. All these side effects of the rubella vaccination subside after a few days.
Rubella vaccination: STIKO recommendations
The rubella vaccination is recommended by the Permanent Vaccination Commission (STIKO) for all children. For girls, it is important in order to be adequately protected against infection with the rubella virus during a subsequent pregnancy. This is because a rubella infection during pregnancy may cause severe damage to the child.
How often to vaccinate against rubella?
Generally, two vaccine doses are provided for rubella vaccination: The first is recommended for children between eleven and 14 months of age. The second vaccine dose should be given between 15 and 23 months of age. At least four weeks must elapse between the two partial vaccinations.
Anyone who has received both recommended vaccination doses is usually adequately protected against the rubella pathogen – for life. Only very rarely does it happen that someone is re-infected with rubella despite having received a vaccination (long ago). This so-called reinfection usually proceeds without symptoms or with very mild symptoms such as a cold.
Some children and adolescents have received only one or no rubella vaccine dose in the first two years of life. Doctors then recommend that the rubella vaccination be made up for or completed as soon as possible.
Rubella vaccination for women
Whether vaccination protection is missing, incomplete or unclear: In all cases, doctors recommend that women who wish to have children receive a rubella vaccination before becoming pregnant. Those who do not know their own vaccination status or were not vaccinated as a child should receive two doses of vaccine. For women of childbearing age who received one rubella vaccine dose in childhood, one additional dose is sufficient. This completes the vaccine protection.
Doctors recommend that women of childbearing potential wait at least one month after their last rubella vaccination before becoming pregnant.
Rubella vaccination during pregnancy?
This means that if it is only discovered during pregnancy that the woman is not immune to the rubella pathogen, rubella vaccination is not possible.
In order to know at an early stage, the blood of all pregnant women with unclear vaccination status or missing or incomplete rubella vaccination should be tested for specific antibodies against the rubella virus (antibody test). If the test shows that the mother-to-be does not have sufficient immunity to the pathogens, she must be careful in the future not to come into contact with anyone infected with rubella.
Rubella vaccination for other adults
When must the rubella vaccination not take place?
As mentioned above, rubella vaccination must not be administered during pregnancy. However, there are other situations in which vaccination is not advised:
- In case of allergy to chicken egg white
- In case of severe immunodeficiency
- After administration of blood transfusions and antibody-containing drugs
- In case of high fever
Vaccination after contact with rubella
People with unclear vaccination status, without vaccination or with only one vaccination better act quickly and see a doctor if they have (possibly) contracted rubella virus.
Passive vaccination with immunoglobulins, given within five days of infection, attenuates the symptoms and reduces the viral load. However, it does not prevent infection and thus disease of the child in the womb (rubella embryopathy).
More information on passive vaccination can be found in the article “Active and passive immunization”.
Rubella despite vaccination?
Very rarely, people who have been vaccinated against rubella still get sick later. The reason is usually that they received only one of the two recommended doses of rubella vaccine. However, a single rubella vaccination provides only about 95 percent protection. This means that in about five out of every 100 people who have received only one rubella vaccine dose, the body does not respond by producing antibodies. That is why experts recommend the second vaccination dose: It ensures that the remaining five percent also build up vaccine protection against rubella.
