Rubella

Rubella is a contagious viral infection that most people know for the red rash it causes throughout the body. It is also sometimes called “German measles.”

Rubella is spread from person to person through respiratory droplets from an infected person. This can be through coughing or sneezing.

Most outbreaks of rubella happen among young adults and adults who have not been vaccinated or have not had the disease before. Although it is a relatively mild sickness, rubella can cause serious birth defects for unborn children if the mother becomes sick while she is pregnant.

Rubella is a vaccine-preventable illness.

Symptoms

Rubella is usually a mild illness in children with very few symptoms. A red rash is typically the first sign. The rash will show up on the face first and then spread to the rest of the body. It lasts about three days.

Other symptoms of rubella that can appear include:

• Low-grade fever
• Headache
• Mild pink eye (redness or swelling of the white of the eye)
• Discomfort
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Cough
• Runny nose

Adults who get rubella also will most likely have mild symptoms including a low-grade fever, sore throat and rash. Some adults may also note headaches, pink eye and discomfort.

The most serious complication from rubella is the potential for birth defects in unborn children. If an unvaccinated pregnant woman gets infected with the rubella virus, it can result in a miscarriage or death of the child right after birth. The virus can also be passed to the baby in the womb and potentially cause birth defects, known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Birth defects could include:

• Heart problems
• Loss of hearing and eyesight
• Intellectual disability
• Liver or spleen damage

Anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of infected people will not have any symptoms at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should my child get the rubella vaccine?

Rubella is preventable with the MMR vaccine. This vaccine provides lasting protection against three diseases: measles, mumps and rubella. Two doses are about 97% effective at protecting against rubella.

For best protection, your child needs two doses of the MMR vaccine.

• First dose – 12 to 15 months old
• Second dose – 4 to 6 years old

You can also choose to have your child protected with the MMRV vaccine. This vaccine protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) and is available to children between 12 months and 12 years old.

Talk to your child’s doctor about the best strategy for vaccination.

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Is the rubella vaccine safe?

The MMR vaccine is safe and effective. One dose of the vaccine is about 97 percent effective at preventing rubella.

Rubella was a common disease among young children before vaccines were available in the United States. The last major epidemic of rubella was 1964 to 1965. There were an estimated 12.5 million cases of rubella in the U.S. during that time. With successful vaccination programs, rubella has been eliminated from the U.S. since 2004.

However, rubella is still common in other countries and unvaccinated people can catch the disease while traveling out of the country.