2023 Highlights
- No cases of rubella or congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) were reported in Minnesota in 2023.
- In 2023, two deaths were reported in adults who each had long-standing diagnoses of CRS identified at birth.
In 2023, no cases of rubella or CRS were reported. Two deaths were reported in adults with longstanding diagnoses of CRS identified at birth. One death occurred in a male, another in a female. Both were adults aged older than 60 years. Neither individual died as a result of CRS; however, conditions related to CRS contributed to lifelong morbidity in both cases.
Rubella was once common in the U.S. with about 50,000-60,000 cases (primarily in young children) reported annually. The last major epidemic in the U.S. occurred during 1964-1965, with about 12.5 million cases, resulting in 2,000 cases of encephalitis, 11,250 therapeutic or spontaneous abortions, 2,100 neonatal deaths, and 20,000 infants born with congenital rubella syndrome.
Following vaccine licensure in 1969, reported rubella cases decreased dramatically. While rubella was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2004, sporadic cases can be imported from areas where rubella is still common. Globally, an estimated 110,000 babies are born with congenital rubella syndrome every year, mostly in Southeast Asia and Africa. Continued success in maintaining rubella elimination depends upon keeping vaccination rates high.