Rubella in Pregnancy: A Guide to Rational Counseling

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In an article elsewhere in this issue (p 1647), Mann and colleagues have made an important addition to our ability to analyze and advise on the risk of congenital rubella after a possible exposure of a pregnant woman to an illnesswith rash. In one sense they are helping to ease the congestion of the national telephone lines, as many physicians in this dilemma call their favorite rubella experts (often at medical schools or at the Centers for Disease Control) for some help in estimating the probabilities of an adverse outcome. The method Mann et al have chosen is the preparation of three algorithms that speak to commonly encountered situations. The three algorithms deal with three periods between exposure to illness -with rash and the time of assessment—within one week, one to five weeks, and greater than five weeks—and the interpretation of the available standard laboratory test results. They also