On Aug. 18, 2025, the World Health Organization announced Nepal has eliminated rubella as a public health problem, a remarkable achievement for a country making concerted efforts to protect its people from vaccine preventable diseases.

Rubella, or German measles, is a highly contagious viral infection. It is particularly serious for pregnant women as infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or a range of lifelong and debilitating birth defects. But rubella is preventable with safe and cost-effective vaccines.

Nepal introduced rubella-containing vaccine in its immunization programme in 2012 with a nationwide campaign for age group 9 months to 15 years. A second dose of rubella-containing vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule in 2016.

Four national campaigns with rubella vaccines in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024, helped increase access, despite major public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and earthquakes in 2015 and 2023. By 2024, Nepal achieved over 95% coverage for at least one dose of rubella vaccine.

Nepal is the sixth country in WHO South-East Asia to achieve rubella elimination. Prioritizing elimination of measles and rubella as public health problems in WHO South-East Asia by 2026, Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, and Timor-Leste have eliminated measles, and Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and now Nepal, have eliminated rubella.