The 1962–1965 rubella epidemic was an outbreak of

rubella Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

across Europe and the United States. The Rubella virus, also known as the German measles, is a single-stranded RNA virus from the family ''

Togaviridae {{Commonscat, Viruses by family This category is for articles about virus families (or redirects to such articles). There should be no subcategories. families Families (biology) ...

'' and genus '' Rubivirus''. Typically, the virus is transmitted via droplets, such as

coughing A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages which can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex following three ...

sneezing A sneeze (also known as sternutation) is a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the lungs through the nose and mouth, usually caused by foreign particles irritating the nasal mucosa. A sneeze expels air forcibly from the mouth a ...

, however,

congenital rubella Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) occurs when a human fetus is infected with the rubella virus (German measles) via maternal-fetal transmission and develops birth defects. The most common congenital defects affect the ophthalmologic, cardiac, aud ...

can be passed on from a pregnant woman to her

fetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic development, embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Pren ...

. The disease itself is fairly mild, usually presenting with a rash on the face and general sickness symptoms, such as coughing,

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

, and

fatigue Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself. Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...

, however, the real danger lies in Rubella infections in women who are pregnant. Pregnant women with Rubella are at risk of having a miscarriage or having a baby born with multiple birth defects due to Congenital rubella syndrome. It affected around 12.5 million people in the US. An estimated 11,000 pregnancies ended in

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

stillbirth Stillbirth is typically defined as fetus, fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without vital signs, signs of life. A stillbirth can often result in the feeling of guilt (emotio ...

, just over 2,000 newborn babies died, and of those that survived around 20,000 babies had

congenital rubella syndrome Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) occurs when a human fetus is infected with the rubella virus (German measles) via maternal-fetal transmission and develops birth defects. The most common congenital defects affect the ophthalmologic, cardiac, a ...

(CRS). The amount of pregnant women affected by the disease had great repercussions on outlook of abortion.

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

was decided in 1973, eight years after the Rubella epidemic that gave many Americans a different view on the termination of a pregnancy. The epidemic led the drive to develop a

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

which has helped the United States to see as little as 10 new Rubella cases a year.

History

Due to the mild symptoms of Rubella, the disease was able to exist in many countries without much notice or attention. However, in 1942 an Australian ophthalmologist, Norman Gregg, realized that the virus caused birth defects. This led to many scientists and doctors putting more effort into understanding the disease and finding ways to prevent it. Twenty years after this discovery, an outbreak of Rubella took place in Europe and eventually made it way over to the United States.

Abortion as Treatment

With new information out about the effects of the Rubella virus on a fetus, some expectant women and physicians wanted the termination of the pregnancy to be an option. Abortion was illegal in the United States at the height of this epidemic, however, physicians were allowed to perform therapeutic abortions if they believed the mother would be in danger or the fetus would be non-viable or suffer sever damage.

History

Abortion as Treatment

See also

References

Further reading