Travelling to Japan for the Rugby World Cup? Bring back good memories; don’t bring back rubella!
Rubella outbreak in Japan
There is an ongoing rubella outbreak in Japan.
Travelers to Japan should make sure they are vaccinated against rubella with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine before travel.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, 2,039 rubella cases have been reported in the first 30 weeks of 2019, with most cases continuing to be reported in the Kanto region (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama). Additionally, three cases of congenital rubella have been reported in this same time period in 2019, with one each in Saitama, Tokyo and Osaka. https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/survaillance-data-table-english.html
What is rubella?
Rubella is an infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. Most people who get rubella usually have a mild illness, with symptoms that can include a low-grade fever, sore throat, and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
Rubella can cause a miscarriage or serious birth defects in a developing baby if a woman is infected while she is pregnant. The best protection against rubella is MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine.
Ireland has been declared free of rubella by World Health Organization (WHO).
MMR vaccine protects against rubella
MMR vaccine is very safe and effective. One dose of the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing rubella.
The MMR uptake for children at 24 months of age is 92% (Quarter 4, 2018) and for children aged 4-5 years was 91.8% (2016/2017 school year).
Further information
The Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases
IDWR Surveillance Data Table 2019 week 30
HPSC: Rubella
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/vaccinepreventable/rubella/