Initiatives to Reduce Rubella

Rubella is an acute, eruptive, infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. It is highly contagious and can be transmitted from person to person by droplet infection. If a woman with insufficient immunity to rubella contracts the virus during the first twenty weeks of pregnancy, her child has a higher probability of being born with congenital rubella syndrome, which can include congenital heart disease, cataracts, and deafness.
Vaccination is the most effective defense against rubella. In Japan, however, the number of times an adult has been vaccinated may vary depending on their sex and the year they were born, with some generations not vaccinated at all. Adult males are particularly likely to have low immunity to the rubella virus, and have been at the center of outbreaks in recent years.
Additionally, women who are found to have a low antibody count cannot receive the vaccination while pregnant, making immunity in the people around pregnant woman highly desirable.
*Source:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare homepage

As part of our health and productivity management efforts, we are engaged in a variety of initiatives aimed at protecting the health of employees and their families.
To make the world more baby friendly, in 2019, we launched the Initiatives to reduce Rubella to reduce the number of infants born with congenital rubella syndrome. In the first year, as an initiative to raise the number of employees with rubella antibodies, we carried out the following activities.

On February 4, 2020, our activities were recognized by an award from the Rubella Zero project Executive Committee, which is promoted by the Japan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.
We will continue to run Pigeon Rubella Zero Action to increase the proportion of employees with rubella antibodies.