Notes from the Field: Congenital Rubella Syndrome — Florida, 2025

In July 2025, a Florida hospital notified the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) of a case of suspected congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in a male infant aged 6 days.The infant, born at 40 weeks' gestation, was small for gestational age (SGA)* and had microcephaly.During the first day of life, he developed respiratory distress, cyanosis, thrombocytopenia, and a generalized rash and was admitted to the birth hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where a congenital heart defect (patent ductus arteriosus [PDA]), cataracts, and hearing defects were also identified.Serology testing on day 4 of life detected antirubella immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies.Nasopharyngeal swabs collected on day 6 of life were sent to the state's public health laboratory, where rubella virus was identified by polymerase chain reaction, confirming the diagnosis of CRS.This activity was reviewed by CDC, deemed not research, and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.