Rubella is a mild viral illness that lasts for about three days. However, when rubella occurs in pregnant women, it can pose a serious threat to the developing fetus.
Rubella is also known as German
measles or three-day measles. Rubella has nothing to do with Germany; it comes from the Latin word "germanus," meaning "similar," since rubella and measles share similar symptoms.
The
cause of rubella is an infection with
rubella virus. Rubella virus is an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus from the family
Togaviridae and the genus
Rubivirus.
Rubella virus resides in the mucus in the nose and throat of the infected person. When that person sneezes or coughs, droplets spray into the air. The infected mucus can land in other people's noses or throats when they breathe or put their fingers in their mouth or nose after touching an infected surface.
Rubella Contagious Period
When a person becomes infected with rubella virus, the virus begins to multiply within the cells that line the back of the throat and the nose. The rubella virus can also spread through the bloodstream or lymph system to other parts of the body. After 14 to 21 days, symptoms of rubella can appear. This period between the rubella transmission and the start of
rubella symptoms is known as the "
rubella incubation period."
A person with rubella is contagious anytime from about seven days prior to the onset of the rash to seven days after the rash appears. A person can spread rubella if he or she becomes infected with rubella virus, even if rubella symptoms never develop.
About 50 percent of people infected with rubella develop related symptoms. When symptoms of rubella do occur, they can include:
- Mild fever
- Swollen lymph glands behind the ears and/or neck
- Rash (see Rubella Rash or Rubella Pictures)
- Joint pain and swelling
- Tiredness
- Muscle and body aches
- Headache
- Testicular pain
- Red, watery eyes (pinkeye).
In order to make a rubella diagnosis, the doctor will ask a number of questions about a patient's medical history and perform a physical exam to look for signs or symptoms of rubella.
Diagnosing rubella can often be done just based on a person's symptoms and findings on the physical exam.
Several other medical conditions can have signs or symptoms that are similar to those of rubella. The doctor will consider these conditions and rule them out before diagnosing rubella. Some of these conditions include:
There is currently no treatment that can kill the
rubella virus. Because rubella is caused by a virus, antibiotics are not effective. Therefore,
rubella treatment focuses on providing relief of
rubella symptoms as the body fights the virus. This is called supportive care. Supportive care can include rest, fluids, and medications (such as
acetaminophen or
ibuprofen) to control fever or pain.
In adults and children, rubella is usually a mild disease with infrequent complications. For pregnant women, rubella can cause serious birth defects (known as
congenital rubella syndrome), including:
- Deafness
- Cataracts
- Heart defects
- Mental retardation
- Liver and spleen damage.
There is at least a 20 percent chance of damage to the fetus if a woman is infected with rubella early in her pregnancy.
Rubella Prevention Methods
Since 1969, a vaccine has been available for the
prevention of rubella.
Rubella vaccine is contained within MMR vaccine or MR vaccine, or it is given as an individual vaccine. Rubella vaccine is usually given as part of MMR (
measles,
mumps, rubella).
The last major epidemic of rubella in the United States occurred in 1964 and 1965, when millions of rubella cases led to 20,000 cases of infants born with congenital rubella syndrome. This epidemic cost the country an estimated $1.5 billion. The rubella vaccine was first licensed in the United States in 1969.
Following the license of rubella vaccine in 1969, the incidence of rubella declined rapidly. Each year from 1992 through 2000, fewer than 500 cases were reported; each year since 2001, fewer than 100 cases have been reported -- a 99 percent decline compared to the pre-vaccine era.
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