A rubella vaccination may be offered to you if you have a blood test (called a
rubella titre) that shows you have low or insufficient immunity to the rubella virus.
Most adults have good immunity to rubella, either naturally through experiencing the virus as a child or by being previously vaccinated for rubella. However, being vaccinated against rubella (or even experiencing the rubella virus) does not always guarantee immunity for life and a person may
NOT be immune if:
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Their previous immunity has diminished over time. This means that you may have been immune as a teenager or for an earlier pregnancy, but not immune for a subsequent pregnancy. This is why women need a rubella titre is done for each new pregnancy. |
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Their body does not respond in a way to create adequate rubella immunity after a rubella infection or vaccination. The immune reaction may be insufficient or the person remains non-immune, even after experiencing rubella or being vaccinated against it. This can happen for up to 5% of people. |
It is only possible to know if you are immune to rubella by having a blood test (called a
rubella titre). Some women planning to become pregnant will have a rubella titre done as part of a
pre-conceptual health check. If the rubella titre shows they are 'not immune', then they may consider having a rubella vaccination before trying to conceive their baby. It is a general recommendation that women should not be pregnant for at least 1 to 2 months after having a rubella vaccination. However, a surveillance of 400 women in the UK, USA and Germany, who had inadvertently received the rubella vaccine before they knew they were pregnant, continued their pregnancies. None of these babies were affected.