Rubella immunisations this week

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 294, 11 July 1989, Page 11

Rubella immunisations this week

This week about 45 of our Waimarino Form 1 girls will be immunised against Rubella.

Free Immunisation is offered to all New Zealand girls in Form 1. The injection is given at school by the public health nurse or parents can, if they

wish, ask their family doctor to give their daughter the injection. Rubella (or German measles) is an infectious disease. If you get it you may have a pink

skin rash, swollen glands in your neck and perhaps a temperature or you might just feel "off colour" for a few days. You might not notice anything at all.

It commonly affects young children and young adults and is not much to worry about. However, rubella can be serious during pregnancy. If a woman catches it, rubella can harm the baby. It may be bom with a damaged brain, heart, eyes or hearing. Women need to make sure they won't get rubella during pregnancy and of girls have the injection when they are quite young then they don't need to worry about it when they are ready to have a family. The immunisation is very safe and very effective. It is not painful and even if a girl has already had rubella it is still best for her to have the injection - to be sure she is protected. For older girls and women who might not have had the injection all you need to do is to see your doctor and ask them to arrange a blood test to show whether or not you are already immune. Then, if you need immunisation your doctor can arrange it. If you are already pregnant you can't be

immunised. You must not get pregnant until at least three months after the injection. Any

woman who is pregnant and thinks she may have been around someone with rubella

should talk to her doctor straight away.

Helen

Pocknall

Public Health Nurse