Health officials have warned of the high risk of a rubella outbreak in Wales due to the thousands of people who still have not received the MMR vaccine have been issued by health officials
Public Health Wales estimate there are still 38,000 unvaccinated young people in Wales and said further action was needed immediately to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
If contracted by a woman who is pregnant, rubella causes babies to be born with combined sight and hearing loss, along with life threatening heart conditions and a long list of other health issues.
Health officials have been urging people to have the jab following the outbreak of measles, with the number of cases in Wales now standing at 1,292.
Joff McGill, lead on rubella and immunisation at Sense, said: “We can’t sit around and wait for rubella outbreaks to follow measles – now is the time to catch up and stay ahead of rubella. We must act now to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies. Women who are unsure of their vaccination history and are thinking about becoming pregnant should contact their GP for advice.
“The large group of 38,000 unvaccinated young people in Wales, along with evidence of increasing susceptibility to rubella in younger women and in women from ethnic minorities, means immunisation can no longer be a childhood issue. Anyone that has not been vaccinated has the potential to pass rubella on to pregnant women.
“The single measles vaccination does not protect against rubella and a programme of single vaccines would mean more people unprotected for longer. MMR is the only effective way to prevent the spread of the disease and the associated risks.”
Dr Marion Lyons, director of health protection for Public Health Wales, said: “We have been warning for some weeks now of the risk of measles to those not vaccinated with two doses of MMR, but it should be remembered that the vaccine also protects against mumps and rubella.
“At present we have not seen cases of rubella in Wales for several years, but the disease is not eradicated and there is every possibility of rubella outbreaks in the future.
“It would be a huge shame to see this disease re-emerging in Wales and affecting pregnant women and their babies.”
The warning comes as health officials are continuing to try and bring the measles outbreak in South Wales under control, with the number of cases now topping 1,200 since the beginning of November 2012.
Parents in Cardiff have also been urged to make sure their children are vaccinated following a suspected case of mumps .
More than 50,000 people have had the MMR vaccination in the last two months.