Rhesus haemolytic disease.

with successive pregnancies. In part, however, the reduction is artifactual, because some losses occur before 28 weeks and are therefore registered as abortions and not as perinatal deaths. The reduction in the overall incidence of rhesus disease has meant that experience among obstetricians, paediatricians, general practitioners, and midwives is generally low necessitating the development of expertise concentrated in large regional centres from which management advice can be readily available. It should be remembered, however, that prevention is the most effective method of 'managing' rhesus disease, so it is vital to ensure that anti-D is administered at the correct time and in the correct dose after any potentially sensitising