Rubella
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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
Diagnosis and Tests
- Rubella Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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
- Rubella: Make Sure Your Child Gets Vaccinated (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine: Vaccine Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Travelers' Health: Rubella (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Images
- Rubella (German Measles, Three-Day Measles) Photos (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Statistics and Research
- FastStats: Measles (National Center for Health Statistics)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Rubella
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Children
- German Measles (Rubella) (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- German Measles (Rubella) (Logical Images)
- Rubella - Fact Sheet for Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Teenagers
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)
Women
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella and the MMR Vaccine during Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
Adults
- Facts about Rubella for Adults (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)
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