Rubella is a form of German measles, a disease that is less severe than typical measles but that can harm an unborn child if a parent gets the disease when they are pregnant.1
Most have blood screens done when they are pregnant and the Rubella antibody status will be known via this screening. Because the Rubella vaccine should be avoided during pregnancy, it is also recommended to have a blood test before getting pregnant so that a vaccine can be given before pregnancy in case of no or low antibodies.2 Even if you have had a rubella immunization, or have had a rubella infection, there is still a small chance that your body has not made enough antibodies against the rubella virus to protect you. The only way to check whether the immunization has worked is to have a blood test to check for rubella antibodies. Because congenital rubella syndrome is so important to avoid, if you are thinking about becoming pregnant for the first time, you should have a blood test to check that you are protected.”3
Breastfeeding does not appear to be a common mode of transmission for Rubella.4 Transmission of rubella is via coughing and sneezing.5 The Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is not contraindicated for breastfeeding.6 It is theoretically possible for the rubella vaccine virus to be transmitted through breastmilk, however, an infection in a term infant is without symptoms.7
In the spirit of full disclosure, please discuss any illness and/or vaccination with a recipient and consult with a primary care physician.
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- Government of Canada – Pathogen Safety Data Sheets: Infectious Substances – Rubella virus ↩︎
- Cleveland Clinic – Vaccination During Pregnancy ↩︎
- NHS ↩︎
- Riordan, Jan. Breastfeeding and Human Lactation. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett, 2005. 167. Print. ↩︎
- CDC – Transmission ↩︎
- CDC – Q&As About Vaccination Options for Preventing Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella ↩︎
- CDC – Vaccination Safety for Breastfeeding Mothers ↩︎
