Medical Glossary:
Congenital rubella syndrome
Viral illness caused by a togavirus of the genus Rubivirus. When rubella infection occurs during pregnancy, fetal infection is likely and often causes congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), resulting in miscarriages, stillbirths, and severe birth defects. Up to 20 percent of the infants born to mothers infected during the first half of pregnancy have CRS. The most common congenital defects are cataracts, heart disease, deafness, and mental retardation.
