The history of rubella and rubella vaccination leading to elimination

Abstract

Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) was discovered in the 1940s, rubella virus was isolated in the early 1960s, and rubella vaccines became available by the end of the same decade. Systematic vaccination against rubella, usually in combination with measles, has eliminated both the congenital and acquired infection from some developed countries, most recently the United States, as is confirmed by the articles in this supplement. The present article summarizes the clinical syndrome of CRS, the process by which the vaccine was developed, and the history leading up to elimination, as well as the possible extension of elimination on a wider scale.