Global health: rubella outbreaks in Japan and Poland

The disease, also known as rubella causes usually only mild fever and rash in adults and children, may, however for a fetus, stillborn, or a variety of deformities, mental retardation, deafness, heart problems and cataracts cause disastrous consequences.

Rubella cases in Japan have fired and more than 10,000 continues to increase. Because of the peculiarities of vaccination, men of age 20-40 are Japan, nearly 75 percent of cases.

Poland had more than 26,000 cases this year.

Japan calls usually more than twice as many American visitors as Poland - about 750,000 per year, compared to 350,000. And Japan's outbreak by tourists concentrated in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, and businessmen, are visited, during Poland's is not.

Japan began schoolgirl - vaccination but not schoolboys - against rubella 1976, then in 1989 moved to the vaccination of children of both sexes against rubella, measles and mumps shot. Problems with the mumps component a switch to single shots rendering causes less uniform coverage then.

Most Japanese older than 50 had rubella in their youth and are immune, so that the most vulnerable group are young men, and many outbreaks in workplaces.

Although rubella-related to have been born, has at least five babies with birth defects Japan's Health Ministry a resisted calls for nationwide immunization campaign. Local governments have subsidized shots for those who seek them by doctors.

Rubella vaccine is Americans only in the triple measles/mumps/rubella formula, which is not recommended for pregnant women.

DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

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