- Also called:
- German measles
- Key People:
- Maurice Hilleman
- Related Topics:
- notifiable disease
- MMR vaccine
- MMRV vaccine
- MR vaccine
- Rubivirus
rubella
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What is rubella?
Rubella, also known as German measles, is a contagious viral disease that is usually mild. However, it can have serious consequences for pregnant women in their early stages, potentially leading to birth defects or fetal loss. The rubella virus spreads through respiratory droplets.
Symptoms include fever, sore throat, swollen glands, and a rash that lasts about three days. Since 1969, there has been a vaccine available. In 1971, it was combined with measles and mumps vaccines to create the MMR vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide lifelong immunity.
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How is rubella different from measles?
Rubella, also known as German measles, is a contagious viral disease that isDescription: milder than typical measles. The rubella virus spreads through respiratory droplets and has an incubation period of 12 to 19 days. Symptoms include sore throat, fever, swollen glands, and a rash lasting about three days.
Measles symptoms include fever, red and watery eyes, nasal discharge, and mucous membrane congestion. A blotchy rash appears as the fever increases, and bluish-white specks surrounded by red areas may develop in the mouth.
Unlike measles, rubella is often mild; however, if a pregnant woman contracts rubella, it can cause fetal infection leading to congenital malformations. There is no effective drug for measles; treatment includes fever control, rest, and eye protection. A vaccine against rubella was introduced in 1969 and later combined with measles and mumps vaccines in the MMR vaccine.
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What are the common symptoms of rubella?
Rubella, also known as German measles, is a contagious viral disease that is usually mild. The rubella virus spreads through respiratory droplets from an infected person.
Common symptoms include sore throat, fever, and swollen glands, followed by a rash that lasts about three days. The incubation period is generally 12 to 19 days, with symptoms appearing about 15 days after exposure. Individuals are most contagious when the rash is erupting.
In as many as 30% of cases, infected persons may not show any symptoms. The disease is mild with rare complications such as encephalitis. Once infected, a person develops lifelong immunity to rubella.
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How does rubella spread from person to person?
The rubella virus spreads through respiratory droplets expelled by an infected person. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the virus is released and can be inhaled by others nearby. People are most contagious when the rash is erupting. The time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms (incubation period) is usually 12 to 19 days, with most cases around 15 days after exposure. Although rubella is generally mild, it can cause serious harm to a fetus if a pregnant woman is infected.
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Why is rubella especially dangerous for pregnant women?
Rubella is especially dangerous during early pregnancy because the virus can cross the placenta and infect the fetus. This can result in congenital rubella syndrome, which causes defects of the eye, heart, brain, and large arteries. The risk to the fetus is greatly reduced if the mother is infected after 20 weeks of gestation. If a woman of childbearing age has not had a natural infection with the rubella virus, she should be immunized prior to pregnancy. The MMR vaccine provides lifelong immunity against rubella.
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How can rubella be prevented and what role do vaccines play?
Rubella, commonly called German measles, is a contagious disease that is preventable with a vaccine. Vaccination efforts, such as the introduction of the MMR vaccine in 1971 (measles, mumps, and rubella), have been very effective in reducing the prevalence of the disease.
Two doses of the rubella vaccine are enough to provide lifelong immunity. The first dose is typically given to children between 12 and 18 months old, and the second by the age of three. When a large portion of a population is vaccinated, herd immunity can be achieved, protecting susceptible individuals and preventing sustained disease spread.
If a woman of childbearing age has not had rubella, immunization prior to pregnancy is recommended to prevent fetal infection and congenital rubella syndrome.
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rubella, contagious viral disease that runs a mild and benign course in most people. Although rubella is not usually a serious illness in children or adults, it can cause birth defects or the loss of a fetus if a woman in the early stages of pregnancy becomes infected.
History
German physician Daniel Sennert first described the disease in 1619, calling it röteln, or rubella, for the red-colored rash that accompanies the illness. Rubella was distinguished from a more serious infectious disease, measles, or rubeola, in the early 19th century. It came to be called German measles in the latter part of the 19th century when the disease was closely studied by German physicians.
The rubella virus was first isolated in 1962, and a vaccine was made available in 1969. Rubella occurred worldwide before immunization programs were instituted, with minor epidemics arising every 6 to 9 years and major epidemics every 30 years. Because of its mildness, it was not considered a dangerous illness until 1941, when Australian ophthalmologist N. McAlister Gregg discovered that prenatal infection with the virus was responsible for congenital malformations in children. In 2015, following an intense 15-year vaccination campaign, the Americas were declared to be free of endemic rubella transmission.
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Symptoms and course of illness
The rubella virus is spread through the respiratory route, being shed in droplets of respiratory secretions from an infected person. The incubation period is 12 to 19 days, with most cases occurring about 15 days after exposure. The first symptoms to appear are a sore throat and fever, followed by swollen glands and a rash that lasts about three days. Infected individuals tend to be most contagious when the rash is erupting.
The duration and severity of the illness are variable and complications are rare, although encephalitis may follow. As many as 30 percent of infections are thought to occur without symptoms. Once infected, a person develops lifelong immunity to rubella.
Fetal infection
Fetal infection occurs when the virus enters the placenta from the maternal bloodstream. Defects of the eye, heart, brain, and large arteries are most common and, together, are referred to as congenital rubella syndrome. The risk to the fetus is greatly reduced if the mother is infected after 20 weeks’ gestation. If a woman of childbearing age has not had a natural infection with rubella virus, she should be immunized prior to pregnancy.
Rubella vaccine and treatment
A vaccine against rubella was introduced by 1969. In 1971, in an effort to simplify vaccination schedules, it was combined with vaccines against measles and mumps, giving rise to the MMR vaccine . Two doses are given, the first to children between 12 and 18 months of age and the second by three years of age. Two doses of the vaccine are considered enough to provide lifelong immunity against rubella. Learn more in this list of vaccine-preventable diseases.
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Treatment for rubella is supportive, aimed at lessening the severity of symptoms. Fetal infection resulting in congenital birth defects, particularly of the heart, may be corrected with surgery.