Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is a group of permanent birth defects that occurs when a pregnant woman is infected with rubella virus, resulting in transmission to the fetus [1]. The condition manifests as infants born with combinations of hearing loss, heart defects, eye abnormalities, and other structural malformations [1].
Disease overview
Congenital rubella syndrome
先天性风疹综合征
Evidence-backed informationEN 3/7 applicable sections · ZH 3/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) continues to cause disability among unvaccinated populations in countries with no or insufficient rubella vaccine coverage to prevent transmission [1]. The syndrome results when a pregnant woman is infected with rubella virus, particularly during the first trimester, with approximately 90% chance of transmission to the fetus [1]. CRS is characterized by multiple permanent manifestations including hearing, cardiac, and ocular defects, with estimated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost per case ranging from approximately 19–39 in high-income countries and 29–39 in low- and middle-income countries [1].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile4
CRS is characterized by one or more manifestations including hearing defects (sensorineural deafness), cardiac defects (commonly patent ductus arteriosus and pulmonary stenosis), and eye defects (cataracts, glaucoma, and pigmentary retinopathy) [1]. These defects typically occur in combination, with studies examining cases presenting with hearing, cardiac, and/or eye abnormalities following maternal rubella infection during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy [1].
Measles is still responsible for more than 100,000 deaths every year, down from more than 2 million deaths annually before the introduction and widespread use of measles vaccine [2].
- 1Simons EA et al. Systematic Review of the Manifestations of Congenital Rubella Syndrome in Infants and Characterization of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Risk Anal. 2016 Jul. PMID: 25115193. doi: 10.1111/risa.12263.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25115193/
- 2Moss WJ et al. Measles. Lancet. 2017 Dec 2. PMID: 28673424. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31463-0.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28673424/
- 3World Health Organization. Rubella [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rubella
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Coverage
Reporting countries and regions
Trends by reporting country
Monthly patterns over time
Research Radar
Recent related research
Assessment of Commercial Lateral Flow Immunoassays for Rubella IgM Detection in Serum Samples
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Rubella infection in pregnancy and congenital rubella in United Kingdom, 2003 to 2016
Eurosurveillance
Estimating the burden of rubella virus infection and congenital rubella syndrome through a rubella immunity assessment among pregnant women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Potential impact on vaccination policy
Vaccine
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes15
Australia NINDSS
Australia
Australian national notifiable diseases surveillance dashboard.
Australia NINDSS — Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Australian Capital Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — New South Wales
New South Wales, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for New South Wales, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Northern Territory
Northern Territory, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Northern Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Queensland
Queensland, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Queensland, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — South Australia
South Australia, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for South Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Tasmania
Tasmania, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Tasmania, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Victoria
Victoria, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Victoria, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Western Australia
Western Australia, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Western Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Brazil DATASUS SINAN
Brazil
Brazil Ministry of Health DATASUS/SINAN public DBC microdata aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
Canada PHAC CNDSS Annual
Canada
Canada is the national jurisdiction; subdivision feeds are registered separately.
Hong Kong, China CHP Notifiable Diseases
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China CHP annual notifiable infectious disease CSVs normalized to national monthly totals
JP NIID Weekly
Japan
Japan weekly infectious disease surveillance via NIID/JIHS.
Korea KDCA EID
South Korea
Korea KDCA notifiable infectious disease OpenAPI or portal/KOSIS downloads aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
Taiwan, China CDC NIDSS
Taiwan, China
Taiwan, China monthly notifiable infectious disease open-data CSV feed.