It’s one of those conditions that we are always being warned about, particularly when carrying a child, but rubella screening of pregnant women is set to come to an end in England in 2016.
The move was announced today by Public Health England, with a statement claiming that the decision was based on the success of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination. Now that instances of the infection are extremely rare, screening is apparently unnecessary.
Also known as German measles, rubella is a viral infection that can cause fever and rash. It is very serious if a pregnant woman becomes infected, as it can cause brain damage and further health complications to the unborn child.
Pregnant women in England are usually offered a blood test to screen for the condition, but this is set to become a thing of the past. Rubella screening for mums-to-be will officially come to an end in April 2016, and it is reported that services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are considering following suit.
Commenting on this very significant news, Dr Anne Mackie of Public Health England said: “Screening for rubella in pregnancy does not give any protection to the unborn baby in that pregnancy.”
"The best preventative measure a woman can take to protect herself from rubella is to ensure she is immunised with the MMR vaccine before she gets pregnant,” she added.
