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Overview

 

Definition

Rubella is a relatively mild disease caused by the rubella virus.
 
  

Symptoms

  • Low-grade fever
  • Not feeling well, tiredness
  • Raised, red, pinpoint rash that starts on the face and spreads downwards
  • Rash lasts 3 – 5 days
  • Half of all teenagers and adults with rubella develop muscle and joint pain

About half of all rubella infections show no symptoms of a rash.

  

Causes

Rubella spreads through close contact with an infected person and their nose and throat secretions, such as through coughing or sneezing.

Sharing food, drinks or cigarettes, or kissing someone who has the virus can also put you at risk.

  

Complications

Rare complications are encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain): 1 out of 5000 cases

Thrombocytopenia, an decrease in the number of blood platelets (the cells that help blood clot): 1 out of 3000 cases

Rubella infection during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and severe birth defects (deafness, eye problems, heart defects or liver, spleen and brain damage). This is called Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) and occurs in 9 out of 10 babies born to women who have rubella infection in the first 3 months of pregnancy.

  

Tests and Diagnosis

A blood test is needed to confirm the infection. The rubella rash and other symptoms may be hard to tell apart from infections caused by other viruses such as measles, parvovirus, adenovirus or enteroviruses.

 

Treatment and Drugs

Rest and treating the fever (if there is one). Most people do not feel that sick.

  

Prevention

 Immunization with MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine is the best way to prevent German measles (rubella).

Wash hands well, especially after coughing and sneezing and before preparing foods or eating.

Don’t share food, drinks, utensils, etc.

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Last Updated: February 22, 2012