DEAFNESS FOLLOWING RUBELLA IN PREGNANCY

Abstract

Details are presented of the hearing and other problems of 114 children with impaired hearing born In Queensland after an outbreak of rubella in late 1963. Hearing impairment in this sample was most frequent from rubella in the second month of pregnancy, but the cases came also from the first, third, fourth and fifth months. Forty-seven per cent of the children have profound deafness, and 45.6% had additional handicaps, either cardiac or visual, or both. It is noted that age of detection of deafness was later than necessary, particularly for country children.