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Rubella vaccinations are now included in a combination measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
MMR is given as a series of two doses at 12 to 15 months of age and at 4 to 6 years of age. The vaccine is also recommended for adolescents and women of childbearing age who do not already have immunity. However, women should avoid getting pregnant for four weeks after getting the MMR.
Some 1,600 rubella cases were reported in the Western Hemisphere in 2004, and health authorities are attempting to step up campaigns to spread vaccination to more nations, especially in the Caribbean, says Mirta Roses Periago, MD, director of the Pan American Health Organization.
Officials say that rubella vaccination will continue in the U.S. because international travel allows unsuspected cases to enter the country and expose susceptible individuals.
"This is the time when we want to do even more the strengthen vaccination, not less," Gerberding says.
Cuba was the first nation to achieve elimination of rubella, declaring an end in 1989 to serious birth defects known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Cuba declared its last case of transmitted rubella in 1995.
U.S. officials, frequently battling disease spreads -- and sometimes public criticism over vaccine safety and distribution problems -- seemed elated by the news of a public health success.
"When in my life did I ever think I'd be able to make an announcement like that," Gerberding said to a fellow CDC official after briefing reporters.
SOURCES: Julie M. Gerberding, MD, director, CDC. Mirta Roses Periago, MD, director, Pan American Health Organization. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC, March 21, 2005.