Chapter 12, Congenital Rubella Syndrome: 12--1 1 Chapter 12: Congenital Rubella Syndrome

Throughout the 1990s, the majority of infants with CRS were infants of mothers who fall into these categories. Though rubella cases are at record-low levels in the United States, rubella and CRS continue to be global burdens. It is estimated that there are more than 110,000 cases of CRS annually throughout the world. With the increased use of rubella vaccine; however, the burden of rubella infection should decrease in the future. As of April, 2000, 52% of countries use rubella vaccine in their national programs. The goal of rubella vaccination is to prevent congenital rubella infection. Chapter 12, Congenital Rubella Syndrome: 12--2 1 III. Importance of rapid case identification As infants with CRS may shed virus for prolonged periods, they should be identified as early in life as possible in order to prevent further spread of the virus. Infants with CRS may shed virus up to 1 year of age or longer and should be considered infectious until they are at least 1 year old or until two c