What is congenital rubella syndrome?

A baby born damaged by rubella is said to have congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).

When a pregnant woman catches rubella she passes the infection on to her foetus and it damages the organs as they develop.

Infection in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy causes 90% of infants to be damaged - typically their heart, eyes, ears and brain, often in combination. In the next six weeks a third of infants are affected, usually but not always restricted to hearing loss. Later infection is rarely associated with damage, and is referred to as congenital rubella infection.

Damage that congenital rubella syndrome causes include:

• A hearing loss in one or both ears. This can be present at birth, be progressive or of late onset.
• Cataracts in one or both eyes and some other, rarer eye conditions. Sight may deteriorate with age.
• Heart problems that require hospital treatment at birth and affect the infant throughout life.
• The way the brain and nervous system develop.