No Chronic Side Effects From Rubella Vaccine Are Found, Study Says

Concern that the rubella vaccine may cause chronic joint or nerve problems in some women appears to be unfounded and shouldn’t deter women from getting immunized as a way to prevent birth defects, authors of a new study say.

The practice of immunizing adult women against rubella, also called German measles, has been endangered by concern that the vaccine might cause disabling side effects in rare cases. Rubella can cause birth defects in babies born to women who become infected while pregnant.

A team led by epidemiologist Paula Ray, however, found no evidence during a yearlong study of more than 3,000 women that those who were vaccinated suffered any more chronic joint or nerve problems than other women. The research was reported in Wednesday’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn.