Rubella rash in babies

Rubella (german measles) - NHS

Rubella (german measles) is a rare illness that causes a spotty rash. It usually gets better in about a week, but it can be serious if you get it when you're pregnant.

Check if you or your child have rubella

The main symptom of rubella is a spotty rash that starts on the face or behind the ears and spreads to the neck and body.

The rash takes 2 to 3 weeks to appear after getting rubella.

The rash looks red or pink on white skin.

Credit:

PR. PH. FRANCESCHINI/CNRI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/259748/view

It can be harder to see on brown or black skin, but might feel rough or bumpy.

Credit:

DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/259492/view

You might also have lumps (swollen glands) in your neck or behind your ears.

Credit:

DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/259236/view

Rubella can also cause:

aching fingers, wrists or knees
a high temperature
coughs
sneezing and a runny nose
headaches
a sore throat
sore, red eyes

Information:

It's very unlikely to be rubella if you have had both doses of the MMR vaccine or had rubella before.

See other rashes in children and babies

Non-urgent advice: Call a GP if:

you or your child have symptoms of rubella

Rubella can spread to others. It's best to call before you go in. The GP may suggest talking over the phone.

How to look after yourself or your child

Rubella usually gets better in about a week.

After getting advice from a GP, you or your child should:

get plenty of rest
drink lots of fluids, like water or squash
take paracetamol or ibuprofen if you're uncomfortable – do not give aspirin to children under 16

How to avoid spreading rubella

Rubella spreads in coughs and sneezes.

It’s infectious from 1 week before the symptoms start and for 5 days after the rash first appears.

It can be serious for some people, so you should try to avoid spreading it to others.

Do

stay off nursery, school, or work for 5 days after the rash appears
try to avoid close contact with anyone who is pregnant
wash your hands often with soap and warm water
use tissues when you cough or sneeze
throw used tissues in the bin

Don’t

do not share cutlery, cups, towels, clothes, or bedding

Rubella in pregnancy

Rubella is very rare in pregnancy. But if you get it when you're pregnant, rubella could harm your baby.

It can cause:

loss of the baby (miscarriage)
serious problems after the baby is born – such as problems with their sight, hearing, heart, or brain

The risk is highest if you get rubella early in pregnancy.

There's not thought to be a risk to your baby if you get rubella after week 20 of your pregnancy.

Urgent advice: Call your midwife, maternity unit, or GP immediately if:

You're pregnant and either:

you have a new rash
you’ve been in close contact with someone who has rubella

Get vaccinated against rubella

The MMR vaccine can prevent rubella. It also protects you from measles and mumps.

The MMR vaccine is offered to all children in the UK. 2 doses can give lifelong protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Ask at your GP surgery if you're not sure you or your child have had the vaccine. They can give it for free on the NHS.

Find out more about the MMR vaccine

Page last reviewed: 23 May 2022
Next review due: 23 May 2025

Rubella (German Measles) (for Parents)

What Is Rubella?

Rubella is an infection that mostly affects the skin and lymph nodes. In kids, rubella — commonly called German measles or 3-day measles — is usually a mild illness. But the infection is dangerous for pregnant women because it can cause serious health problems in their babies.

Rubella is caused by the rubella (roo-BELL-uh) virus (not the same virus that causes measles). It spreads when people breathe in virus-infected fluid.

Before the rubella vaccine, epidemics happened every 6-9 years, usually among kids 5 to 9 years old, along with many cases of congenital rubella. Thanks to immunization, there are far fewer cases of rubella and congenital rubella.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Rubella?

Rubella infection may begin with 1–2 days of mild fever (99°–100°F, 37.2°–37.8°C) and swollen, tender lymph nodes, usually in the back of the neck or behind the ears. A rash then begins on the face and spreads downward. As it spreads, it usually clears on the face.

The rubella rash is often the first sign of illness that a parent notices. It can look like many other viral rashes, appearing as either pink or light red spots, which may merge to form evenly colored patches. The rash can itch and lasts up to 3 days. As the rash clears, the affected skin might shed in very fine flakes.

Other symptoms of rubella, which are more common in teens and adults, can include headache, loss of appetite, mild conjunctivitis (inflammation of the lining of the eyelids and eyeballs), a stuffy or runny nose, swollen

lymph nodesin other parts of the body, and pain and swollen joints. Many people with rubella have few or no symptoms.

The rubella rash usually lasts 3 days. Lymph nodes may be swollen for a week or more, and joint pain can last for more than 2 weeks. Children who have rubella usually recover within 1 week, but adults may take longer.

Is Rubella Contagious?

Rubella is contagious, and passes from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat through sneezing and coughing. Someone also can get it by sharing food or drink with a person who's infected. People who have rubella are most contagious from 1 week before to 1 week after the rash appears. Someone who is infected but has no symptoms can still spread the virus.

The virus also can pass through a pregnant woman's bloodstream to infect her unborn child. Babies born with congenital rubella syndrome are at risk for serious problems with their growth, thinking, heart and eyes, hearing, and liver, spleen, and bone marrow. They also can shed the virus in their urine (pee) and fluid from their nose and throat for a year or more, so can pass the virus to people who aren't immunized against it.

Can Rubella Be Prevented?

The rubella vaccine protects people from the disease. Widespread immunization is the key to preventing the spread of the virus and protecting babies from the serious health problems of congenital rubella syndrome.

Most rubella infections today are in young, non-immunized adults rather than in kids. In fact, experts say that about 10% of young adults are not vaccinated against rubella, which could be dangerous for any children they might have someday.

Children usually get the vaccine at 12–15 months of age as part of the scheduled measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunization or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine (MMRV). Most get a second dose at 4–6 years of age. As with all immunization schedules, there are important exceptions and special circumstances. For example, a child who will travel outside the United States can get the vaccine as early as 6 months of age. Talk to your doctor to see when your child should get the vaccine.

The rubella vaccine should not be given to pregnant women or to a woman who plans to become pregnant within 1 month of getting it. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, make sure that you're immune to rubella through a blood test or proof of immunization. If you're not immune, get the vaccine at least 1 month before you become pregnant.

Pregnant women who are not immune should avoid anyone who has the illness, then get the vaccine after their baby is born so they'll be immune during any future pregnancies.

How Is Rubella Treated?

Antibiotics can't treat rubella because they only work against bacteria, not viruses. Unless it causes other problems, rubella will get better on its own. Rubella usually is mild in kids, who often can be cared for at home. Check your child's temperature and call the doctor if the fever climbs too high.

To ease minor discomfort, you can give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Never give aspirin to a child who has a viral illness, as such use is linked to a serious condition called Reye syndrome.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Call the doctor if your child seems to be getting sicker or has symptoms that don't seem mild.

If a pregnant woman is exposed to rubella, she should contact her doctor right away.

Rubella in children and adults: symptoms and treatment

Rubella is treated by a pediatrician

Rubella is an infection that mainly affects the skin and lymph nodes.

The disease is caused by the rubella virus (for a long time it was believed that rubella is a mild variant of the course of measles, but later science learned to distinguish these diseases), it is transmitted by airborne droplets, through particles of the saliva of a sick person sneezing. In addition, the rubella virus can be transmitted transplacentally, that is, from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

Usually rubella is quite mild, rarely causes complications, although rubella encephalitis and even fatal cases occur. The main medical hazard of rubella is infection of pregnant women, since the rubella virus can cause congenital rubella syndrome in the fetus.

Before the rubella vaccine became available in 1969, epidemics of the disease occurred every 6–9 years, usually in children aged 5–9 years, along with many cases of congenital rubella (that is, deafness, heart defects, and other physical defects in newborns whose mothers had rubella during pregnancy). Thanks to mass immunization, cases of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome have become incomparably smaller.

Most cases of rubella currently do not occur in children, but in young unvaccinated adults.

Symptoms

The illness usually begins with one to two days of mild fever (up to 38°C) and swollen, painful lymph nodes, usually in the back of the neck or behind the ears. A pale pink spotted rash then appears on the face and spreads downward. As it spreads to the lower parts of the body, the face is usually already cleared.

A rubella rash is often the first sign of illness that a parent notices. It may look like many other viral rashes, appearing as pink or light red spots that may coalesce to form patches of uniform color. The rash may itch and last up to 3 days. When the rash disappears, small-lamellar peeling may remain in its place.

Other symptoms of rubella (more common in adolescents and adults) may include headache, loss of appetite, mild conjunctivitis (inflammation of the lining of the eyelids and eyeballs), nasal congestion or discharge, swollen lymph nodes elsewhere in the body.

If a pregnant woman gets rubella, she may develop congenital rubella syndrome, with devastating consequences for the developing fetus. Children infected with rubella before birth are at risk of growth failure, intellectual defects, heart and eye defects, deafness, and problems with the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.

Rubella rash usually lasts 3 days. Lymph nodes may remain swollen for a week or more, and joint pain may last over 2 weeks. Children with rubella usually recover within 1 week, but adults may take longer.

Contagiousness

The rubella virus is spread from person to person through tiny droplets of fluid from the nose and throat when sneezing and coughing. People with rubella are most contagious 1 week or more before the rash appears and up to 1 week after the rash appears. Someone who is infected but has no symptoms can also spread the virus.

Infants with congenital rubella syndrome can shed the virus in their urine and nasal mucus for a year or more, which means they can infect unvaccinated people.

Prevention

Rubella can be prevented with a vaccine. This vaccination is included in the calendars of all countries, is crucial for curbing the spread of the disease and preventing birth defects in the fetus caused by congenital rubella syndrome.

The first dose of the vaccine is usually given to children at 12 months of age as part of routine measles, mumps, and rubella immunizations. The second dose is usually administered at age 6 years. It is acceptable to give a second dose of the vaccine 6 months after the first, or even 1 month if we know that the child is at increased risk of contracting the disease.

Rubella vaccine should not be given to pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant within 1 month of vaccination. If you're thinking about getting pregnant, make sure you're immune to rubella by doing a blood test or finding records of your vaccines (you should have two doses of the vaccine). If there is no immunity, you should be vaccinated at least 1 month before pregnancy.

Treatment for rubella in children and adults

There is no cure for rubella. All we can do is relieve the symptoms and watch for complications.

Rubella cannot be treated with antibiotics!

Any pregnant woman who has had rubella should contact her obstetrician immediately.

You can give your child paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve discomfort after the vaccine. Remember that you should never give aspirin to a child with a viral disease, as its use in such cases is associated with the development of Reye's syndrome.

Author:

Butriy Sergey Alexandrovich
pediatrician

Publication date: 30 April 2021

Update date: 18 November 2022

Treatment of rubella in children | Moscow

Rubella or

rubella measles in children is an infectious disease with characteristic light pink or pale red small rashes on the body, especially in the head and ears.

How do you know if a child has rubella or is it something else?!

Stages of the disease

While the virus is spreading throughout the body, apart from headache and weakness, in rare cases of fever, no serious symptoms will be seen. This so-called incubation period can last up to three weeks. At the height of the disease, a rash occurs on the baby's skin (risk group from 1 to 7 years). It happens that, in addition to lethargy, swollen lymph nodes and a runny nose, nothing else bothers the child. A clear picture in this situation can be shown by a blood test for the presence of antibodies.