Rubella vaccine

Vaccinating against rubella protects pregnant women and their unborn babies

Type of vaccine

MMR 3-in-1 live vaccine

Protects against

Measles, mumps & rubella

Primary course

1-2 doses

Boosters

No

Suitable for ages

From 12 months

What is the rubella vaccine?

Rubella (also known as German measles) is a viral infection characterised by a distinctive red rash that starts on the face and quickly moves down the torso, arms and legs. Other symptoms can include a mild fever, headache, blocked or stuffy nose, inflamed red eyes, enlarged and tender lymph nodes, and aching joints.

Although rubella often causes mild symptoms in children or no symptoms at all, it can lead to serious problems for babies whose mothers are infected during pregnancy. This includes damage to an unborn baby’s sight, hearing, brain and heart.

The highest risk to women and their babies is during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Rubella can cause miscarriage.

The rubella vaccine is designed to stop people from catching and spreading German measles to reduce the risk of anyone coming into contact with the virus during pregnancy.

Protection against rubella is now only available through the MMR vaccine, which offers protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.

How does the rubella vaccine work?

The rubella vaccine is a “live” vaccine, which means that it contains a weakened (attenuated) version of the rubella virus. It works by stimulating your child’s immune system to produce antibodies that will remember and fight the rubella virus if they were to be exposed to it in the future, but it does so without giving your child rubella.

Who should have the rubella vaccine?

It’s recommended that all teenage girls are vaccinated against rubella prior to childbearing age. This is to protect the unborn baby in any future pregnancy.

Rubella vaccine FAQs

One dose of the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective in preventing rubella.

Like all vaccines, rubella-containing vaccines can cause side effects. For most people, they’re mild.

The side effects that occurred in clinical trials for Priorix were:

Very common (these occur with more than one in 10 doses of the vaccine)

  • Redness at the injection site
  • Fever of 38°C or higher

Common (these may occur with up to one in 10 doses of the vaccine):

  • Pain and swelling at the injection site
  • Fever higher than 39.5°C
  • Rash (spots)
  • Upper respiratory tract infection

Uncommon (these may occur with up to one in 100 doses of the vaccine):

  • Infection of the middle ear
  • Swollen lymph glands (glands in the neck, armpit, or groin)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nervousness
  • Abnormal crying
  • Inability to sleep (insomnia)
  • Redness, irritation, and watering of the eyes (conjunctivitis)
  • Bronchitis
  • Cough
  • Swollen parotid glands (glands in the cheek)
  • Diarrhoea
  • Vomiting

Rare (these may occur with up to one in 1,000 doses of the vaccine):

  • Convulsions accompanying high fever
  • Allergic reactions

After the marketing of Priorix, the following side effects were reported on a few occasions:

  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Punctual or small spotted bleeding or bruising more easily than normal due to a drop in platelets
  • Sudden life-threatening allergic reaction
  • Infection or inflammation of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves resulting in temporary difficulty when walking (unsteadiness) and/or temporary loss of control of bodily movements, inflammation of some nerves, possibly with pins and needles or loss of feeling or normal movement (Guillain-Barré syndrome)
  • Narrowing or blockage of blood vessels
  • Erythema multiforme (symptoms are red, often itchy spots, similar to the rash of measles, which starts on the limbs and sometimes on the face and the rest of the body)
  • Measles and mumps-like symptoms (including transient, painful swelling of the testicles and swollen glands in the neck)

For the M-M-RvaxPro, the following side effects have been reported:

Very common (may affect more than one in 10 vaccines):

  • Fever (38.5 °C or higher)
  • Injection site redness; injection site pain; injection site swelling

Common (may affect up to one in 10 vaccines):

  • Rash (including a measles-like rash)
  • Injection site bruising

Uncommon (may affect up to one in 100 vaccines):

  • Nasal congestion and sore throat; upper respiratory tract infection or viral infection; runny nose
  • Crying
  • Diarrhoea, vomiting
  • Hives
  • Injection site rash

Some other very rare side effects were reported with the use of M-M-RvaxPro or with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc., or with its monovalent (single) components, during post-marketing use and/or during clinical studies. The frequency of these side effects cannot be known with the available data, but they are listed in full in the M-M-RvaxPro patient information leaflet that we’ve linked to below.

If your child has a history of dairy allergies or is allergic to any of the ingredients in the vaccine, it will not be suitable. If you’re unsure, your child should be tested for any suspected allergies beforehand.

It’s also important that you tell us if your child has any heart, liver or kidney problems, or if they’re taking any medication.

This vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy.

The rubella vaccine is given as an injection in the thigh or upper arm.

Protection through immunisation seems to be long-term. Rubella vaccination was first introduced in the UK in 1970 for girls and non-immune women of childbearing age. Most of the people immunised since that time are still protected against rubella.

Of course, no vaccination protects everybody. A single dose of the MMR is estimated to be 97% effective at preventing rubella, but you may choose for your child to have an immunity blood test to check if they require a second dose.

A single dose of the MMR vaccine can be given from one year of age upwards (nine months in special circumstances). However, some parents prefer an alternative approach.

All girls should have had a rubella-containing vaccine before they reach childbearing age. As there are limited options available for single vaccines as an alternative to the MMR, we typically suggest the following:

  1. Single measles vaccine from 15 months (as research suggests the vaccine has greater efficacy at this age), followed by a measles immunity test to see if a second dose is required.
  2. All girls get a rubella and mumps immunity test, and boys get a mumps immunity test in their teens.
  3. Girls can have the MMR vaccine if a blood test shows they are not immune. Boys can have the MMR to gain some mumps immunity.

Yes. If you would like to check your child’s immunity to rubella, we can organise a blood test first. The MMR vaccination can be repeated, if necessary.

Yes. If you or someone close to you is planning a pregnancy and isn’t sure whether they have been vaccinated against rubella, it’s advisable to have a blood test to check your immunity.

In most cases, yes.

However, Yellow Fever and the MMR vaccine should not be given on the same day, and a minimum interval period of four weeks should be observed between them.

A Rubella-containing vaccine can be given on the same day as a Chickenpox vaccine. Otherwise, a minimum four-week interval should be observed.

Immunisation against rubella is offered through the NHS in the form of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. The first dose is given at 12 months and the second at 18 months.

These single vaccines are no longer manufactured.

This is not a problem. After all, most children receive two MMR vaccines.

Rubella vaccine ingredients

On the tabs below, you will find ingredient information and links to the Patient Information Leaflets for the UK standard vaccines that protect against rubella. 

Name: Priorix

Age: Suitable from 12 months onwards (can be given from 9 months in special circumstances)

Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline

Active ingredients: Live attenuated measles virus (Schwarz strain), live attenuated mumps virus (RIT 4385 strain, derived from Jeryl Lynn strain), and rubella live attenuated virus (Wistar RA 27/3 strain)

Other ingredients: Amino acids (containing phenylalanine*), lactose (anhydrous), mannitol (E 421), sorbitol (E 420), medium 199 (containing phenylalanine, para-aminobenzoic acid, sodium, and potassium); water for injections

*Phenylalanine may be harmful to people with phenylketonuria (PKU)

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: Nil

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: Yes

Licensed for use in the UK

Priorix patient information leaflet: Click to view

Name: M-M-RvaxPro

Age: Suitable from 12 months (can be given from 9 months in special circumstances)

Manufacturer: Merck Sharp and Dohme

Active ingredients: Measles virus1 Enders’ Edmonston strain (live, attenuated) – not less than 1×103 TCID50; Mumps virus1 Jeryl Lynn™ [Level B] strain (live, attenuated) – not less than 12.5×103 TCID50; Rubella virus 2 Wistar RA 27/3 strain (live, attenuated) – not less than 1×103 TCID50

Other ingredients: Sorbitol (E 420), sodium phosphate (NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4), potassium phosphate (KH2PO4/K2HPO4), sucrose, hydrolysed gelatine, medium 199 with Hanks’ salts, MEM, monosodium L-glutamate, neomycin, phenol red, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), hydrochloric acid (HCl) (to adjust pH), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (to adjust pH); water for injection

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: Nil

Contains porcine gelatin?: Yes

Contains dairy products?: No

Licensed for use in the UK

M-M-RvaxPro patient information leaflet: Click to view

Aftercare

We’ll give you detailed aftercare advice for your child after their vaccination(s), including what to do in the event of any side effects.

Your child may experience some redness, tenderness and/or swelling at the injection site, so it’s helpful to expect this. These side effects should self-resolve within a few days.

You can download our Patient Aftercare leaflet here.

If your child is unwell outside of clinic hours, please call 111 for advice or go to A&E if they need urgent medical attention.

Individual advice about the rubella vaccination

Need advice about whether your child should have the MMR vaccine? The BabyJabs team is here to listen and answer your questions to help you decide.