Rubella is a contagious disease that causes mild symptoms in infected children. Also known as “German measles,” it may cause a mild skin rash that starts behind the ears and spreads down the body. Fever, swollen lymph nodes and other symptoms may accompany infection.

Beginning in 1969, a vaccine against rubella became widely available, and it has virtually eliminated rubella infections in the United States. However a few infections occur every year, usually as a result of foreign-born people living in the United States who were not vaccinated in their home countries.  

The biggest danger posed by rubella today is to the developing fetuses of unvaccinated pregnant women who are exposed to the virus. These children are often born with congenital rubella syndrome, which can cause a variety of birth defects.

Children become infected with rubella when the virus is transmitted through saliva or nasal secretions. This can occur when someone infected with rubella coughs or sneezes, or shares a drinking glass or eating utensil with someone who then becomes infected.

Parents are urged to contact a physician if their child is exposed to rubella and has not yet been vaccinated against the disease, or if their child displays symptoms associated with rubella.

Because a virus causes rubella, antibiotics are not an effective treatment. In fact, there is no treatment available that can help shorten the duration of rubella infection. In most cases, symptoms are so mild that significant treatment is not necessary.