Rubella in Jerusalem. 2. Clinical and serologic findings in children with congenital rubella.

Forty-eight children born with clinical and serologic manifestations of congenital rubella were followed for a three-year period. Expanded rubella syndrome, multiple anomalies and single defects were found, mostly in the child's first year of life. Some new organic problems were found at a later age in children who had initially been healthy but who had been followed up because of their high antibody levels to rubella. Of the 48 children, 15 (31%) were born to mothers who had had clinically and serologically diagnosed rubella during pregnancy. In 33 children (69%) the mother had had asymptomatic rubella. These findings emphasize the need to identify and immunize seronegative women before pregnancy.