What is rubella?
Rubella or German measles is a viral infection which causes a pinkish-red rash that first appears on your face, and later spreads elsewhere on the body. The virus runs its course in about three days and is often called three-day-measles.

What are the symptoms?

• Other than a rash, you generally have a mild temperature and swollen lymph glands.

• You may have a stuffy or runny nose with inflamed eyes.

• Some women also have headache and joint pain.

How does the infection spread?
Rubella is known to spread by droplet infection when an infected person coughs or sneezes. If you get rubella during pregnancy, there are chances you may pass the infection to your baby.

How is it diagnosed?
Since rubella looks just like other viral rashes, your doctor can advise laboratory tests such as a virus culture or blood test to confirm the diagnosis.

How can it affect my pregnancy?
Although rubella is a relatively mild illness, if you pass the infection to your baby during pregnancy, it can cause serious problems in her, ranging from deafness to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and heart defects. Fortunately, at least 75 per cent of women in their childbearing years are immune to the disease as they were vaccinated against it in childhood or because they have already had the illness.








 

Select Language English Russian French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Spanish Greek Dutch Hindi