German measles, also known as rubella, is a viral infection that causes a red rash on the body. Aside from the rash, people with German measles usually have a fever and swollen lymph nodes.

Preventing rubella and congenital rubella can only be done through vaccinations, which include the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.

The MMR vaccine protects against all three diseases. It contains weak, but live, strains of each virus that let the body build immunity against them. The vaccination is especially important for children and women of childbearing age. More than 90 percent of those who receive the vaccination never contract rubella.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccination in children when they are 12 – 15 months old, and a second dose at 4 – 6 years old, or at least 28 days after the first vaccination. Unvaccinated adolescents should receive two doses, at least 28 days apart.

Adults born before 1957 and adults who have laboratory evidence of having had rubella or immunity to rubella do not need the vaccine.

Any individual who is yet to have the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine should receive it, except for some few who do not need the vaccine. And these type of individuals include:

• Anyone with blood tests showing they are immune to measles, mumps, and rubella
• Those born before 1957
• Anyone who has already had two doses of MMR or one dose of MMR plus a second dose of measles vaccine
• Anyone who has already had one dose of MMR and is not at high risk of measles or mumps exposure
• Pregnant women or those thinking of getting pregnant in the next 4 weeks
• People with severely compromised immune systems

Anyone who is sick should wait until they recover before having the vaccination.

Is The MMR Vaccine Safe?

Over the years, hundreds of millions of rubella and combined MMR vaccines have been administered all over the world, and the record of it being safe has been excellent. The only difficulty is individuals that live in the rural areas of underdeveloped and developing countries tends not to have enough supply of these vaccines. And this has caused loss of life especially in pregnant women (congenital rubella) and young children who had never been vaccinated against this disease.

MMR Vaccine Side Effects

Measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have minimal or no side effects in humans, due to the fact that the body system of all individuals are not the same , and thus reacts to things differently; therefore it is normal for side effects to differ among individuals.

Occasional side effects are mild and may include:

• Muscle aches and redness and/or pain near the injection area
• Fever
• Mild rash
• Temporary joint pain (true for about 25% of women who get the vaccine) around 7 – 12 days after the injection, while 5% would develop a minor rash
• Temporary cases of thrombocytopenia or low blood platelet count. (This happens in about one of every 30,000 to 40,000 cases.)

Also, since vaccines are live but weakened strains of the virus, they may cause mild cases of rubella. Allergic reactions to the vaccine are more serious, but rare. Individuals should get emergency help if they happen. These reactions include:

• Hives
• Swelling in the throat, tongue and/or lips
• Having a hard time breathing

Severe side effects like deafness and permanent brain damage are so rare that doctors are not sure if the vaccination causes them.