Rubella is a contagious illness that is usually very mild. It can affect anyone but is most common in children. It is spread when the germs are passed from an infected person to another. The greatest danger of rubella is to the unborn baby of a pregnant woman who develops the disease. In pregnant women, it can cause the loss of the baby or serious birth defects including deafness, heart disease, blindness, or brain damage.
Symptoms may include:
A red rash for 1-2 days
Swollen glands
Mild fever
A person is considered contagious (can pass the disease on to someone else) for 1 week before, during, and for 1 week after the rash is present.
Immunization can prevent rubella:
Widespread immunization has greatly reduced the number of miscarriages and birth defects related to rubella.
The risks involved in immunization are very small compared to the risks to the fetus if you contract the disease during pregnancy.
Immunization is recommended for nearly all children at 12-15 months age and again at 4-6 years old or before middle school.
Recommendations for women of childbearing age:
Non-pregnant women of childbearing age should be immunized if they have not had rubella or already been immunized.
If you are pregnant now, wait until you are no longer pregnant to be immunized.
DO NOT get pregnant for 3 months after immunization. Talk to your doctor about birth control, if needed.
If you do not know whether or not you have had rubella, have a blood test done by your doctor or local health department to find out.
You are considered to be exposed if you have had contact with an infected person 1 week before, during, or within 1 week after the rubella rash is present. Your doctor will inform you of certain risks and treatments available including gamma globulin injection.
Contact your doctor or health department staff for further information.
Contact your doctor immediately if you are pregnant, are exposed to rubella, and have not had the disease or the vaccine!
