Rubella

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• Summary
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• Prevention and Risk Factors

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Summary

Rubella is an infection caused by a virus. It is usually mild with fever and a rash. About half of the people who get rubella do not have symptoms. If you do get them, symptoms may include:

• A rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body
• Mild fever
• Aching joints, especially in young women
• Swollen glands

Rubella is most dangerous for a pregnant woman's baby. It can cause miscarriage or birth defects.

Rubella spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. People without symptoms can still spread it. There is no treatment, but the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent it.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• About Rubella (German Measles, Three-Day Measles) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Rubella (World Health Organization) Also in Spanish
• Rubella (German Measles) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Rubella: Questions and Answers (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF

Prevention and Risk Factors

• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Current Vaccine Shortages and Delays (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Safety Information (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Travelers' Health: Rubella (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Rubella (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Rubella epidemiology in Lesotho after vaccine introduction: a five-year review, 2018-2022.
• Article: Rubella seroprevalence among unvaccinated school-aged children in Jos, North Central, Nigeria.
• Article: Differential diagnosis on measles and rubella discarded cases highlights a sharp...
• Rubella -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Children

• Rubella Vaccine Recommendations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Women

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella and the MMR Vaccine during Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Congenital rubella (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Rubella (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish