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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffThe cause of rubella is a virus that's passed from person to person. It can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or it can spread by direct contact with an infected person's respiratory secretions, such as mucus. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her unborn child via the bloodstream. A person with rubella is contagious from 10 days before the onset of the rash until about one or two weeks after the rash disappears. An infected person can spread the illness before the person realizes he or she has it.
Rubella is rare in the United States because most children receive a vaccination against the infection at an early age. However, cases of rubella do occur, mostly in unvaccinated foreign-born adults.
The disease is still common in many parts of the world. The prevalence of rubella in other countries is something to consider before going abroad, especially if you're pregnant.
- Q&As about vaccination options for preventing measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/combo-vaccines/mmrv/vacopt-faqs-hcp.htm. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Rubella: Make sure your child is fully immunized. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Rubella/. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Hall CB. Rubella. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Rubella. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch193/ch193e.html. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Mason WH. Rubella. In: Kliegman RM. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/2087468196/0/1608/0.html. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50246-2&isbn=978-1-4160-2450-7&sid=1164904620&uniqId=252862957-8#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50246-2. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Reef SE. Rubella. In: Brunette GW, et. al. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010: The Yellow Book. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/rubella.htm. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Rubella. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&about=true&uniqId=230100505-53. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Riley LE. Rubella in pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Parker AA, et al. Measles (rubeola). In: Brunette GW, et. al. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010: The Yellow Book. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/measles.htm. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccines/MMR/MMR.html. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Possible side effects from vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/print.do?url=http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Reef S, et al. Rubella. In: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Congenital rubella syndrome. In: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Manual for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Rubella disease in-short (German measles). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rubella/in-short-adult.htm#who. Accessed May 30, 2011.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 1, 2011.
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