Epidemiology of Rubella

RUBELLA was first reported to be a distinct disease entity early in the 19th century in Germany.¹ Subsequently, it has become recognized as one of the common infectious diseases of childhood. Outbreaks of rubella have occurred in military recruits,^2,3 in boarding schools,⁴ and other confined populations.^5,6 These have proved disruptive but hardly catastrophic. The recognition of the etiologic relationship between rubella and congenital defects by Gregg,⁷ in 1941, established the clinical and public health importance of the disease. More recently, documentation of the severe teratogenic impact of the disease has stimulated efforts toward control of rubella. Initially, efforts were directed toward the isolation of rubella virus. This was accomplished in 1962 by Parkman et al⁸ at the Walter Reed Hospital and by Weller and Neva⁹ at the Harvard School of Public Health. Four years later Parkman, Meyer, and colleagues^10,11 at the National