If you're pregnant and have rubella, you can pass it to your baby.
Rubella infection in pregnant women can cause severe birth defects in the baby. The conditions that result from a mother being infected with rubella during pregnancy are together known as congenital rubella syndrome, or CRS.
Who is at risk?
CRS affects developing babies. A mother infected during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (first trimester) has the highest risk of having a baby with CRS.
Conditions of congenital rubella syndrome
Many different conditions can affect developing babies if the mother is infected with rubella virus while pregnant, including:
- Deafness
- Vision problems
- Heart problems
- Low birth weight
- Organ damage
- Intellectual disabilities
- Miscarriage
Prevention
- Rubella can be prevented with the MMR or MMRV vaccine.
- Check with your doctor to make sure you are vaccinated before you get pregnant.
- You should not get the MMR vaccine if you are pregnant because the vaccine contains weakened live virus.
Data and Reports
Fortunately, CRS is rare in North Carolina. The last reported case occurred in 1996.
NCDHHS: Vaccine-Preventable Disease Annual Report (PDF)
More information: Pregnancy and Rubella (CDC)
This page was last modified on 05/07/2026