What is rubella? And is it contagious?

My husband just tested positive for rubella & we are very concerned. We want to know what to expect, how he may have contracted it & is there anything that we should be doing to take care of this matter.

Background: The name rubella is derived from a Latin term meaning "little red." Rubella is generally a benign communicable exanthematous disease. It is caused by rubella virus, which is a member of the Rubivirus genus of the family Togaviridae. Nearly one half of individuals infected with this virus are asymptomatic. Clinical manifestations and severity of illness vary with age. For instance, infection in younger children is characterized by mild constitutional symptoms, rash, and suboccipital adenopathy; conversely, in older children, adolescents, and adults, rubella may be complicated by arthralgia, arthritis, and thrombocytopenic purpura. Rare cases of rubella encephalitis have also been described in children.

The major complication of rubella is its teratogenic effects when pregnant women contract the disease, especially in the early weeks of gestation. The virus can be transmitted to the fetus through the placenta and is capable of causing serious congenital defects, abortions, and stillbirths. Fortunately, because of the successful immunization program initiated in the United States in 1969, rubella infection and congenital rubella syndrome rarely are seen today.

The few cases of rubella recorded in recent years involve susceptible individuals who have not been immunized with rubella vaccine and do not have a history of previous rubella infection.

Studies have shown that 10-20% of the US population is susceptible to rubella, which is a large number considering the large population in the United States. This implies that outbreaks of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome will continue until this percentage of susceptible individuals is reduced to a minimum through immunization.

For More Check this site or Search for RUBELLA on Yahoo or Google !
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2025.h...
Take Care and God Bless !

i believe rubella is a form of measles and yes it is contagious.but you can check it out on webmd.com,they'll answer your questions.rubella is German measles.you can have a rash for up to 3 days,and fever. it's contagious and you should've been vaccinated when you were young.

German measles. The rubella virus passes from person to person through tiny drops of fluid from the nose and throat. 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.
Go to http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/...
to find out everything u need to know about it
do take care:))

Measles and yes! It is very dangerous to baby if you are pregnant, otherwise try not to scratch. Stay away from public.

Rubella, aka "German Measles" is an infectious disease with a characteristic skin rash. It's not particularly dangerous for adults and your husband should recover without too much trouble.

The thing is, it's very contagious and causes miscarriages. So if anyone you know is pregnant, your husband should stay away from them until he's better.

rubella is also known as german measles and is very contagious you also need to watch your husband to make sure his fevers dont run to high i had this sickniess as a child

wow was he not vaccined--it is so important to get vaccined--go to webmd.com

Rubella, also called German measles or three-day measles, is a very contagious disease caused by the rubella virus. The virus causes fever, swollen lymph nodes behind the ears, and a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the torso and then to the arms and legs. Rubella is no longer very common because most children are immunized beginning at 12 months of age.

Surf the net under health issues, like google.com then type in Rubella. It will lead you to websites that you can either look up info on or if its anything bad, didn't the people who took the test tell you anything about it, thats kinda odd if they didn't!

sorry to hear that I hope this is helpful
Rubella
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Rubella ICD-10 B06
ICD-9 056
?Rubella virus
Virus classification
Group: Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
Family: Togaviridae
Genus: Rubivirus
Species: Rubella virus

Rubella (also known as epidemic roseola, German measles, liberty measles or three-day measles) is a disease caused by the Rubella virus. It is often mild and an attack can pass unnoticed. However, this can make the virus difficult to diagnose. The virus usually enters the body through the nose or throat. The disease can last 1-5 days. Children recover more quickly than adults. Like most viruses living along the respiratory tract, it is passed from person to person by tiny droplets in the air that are breathed out. Rubella can also be transmitted from a mother to her developing baby through the bloodstream via the placenta. The virus has an incubation period of 2 to 3 weeks during which it becomes established.

The name German measles has nothing to do with Germany. It comes from the Latin germanus, meaning "similar", since rubella and measles share many symptoms.

Contents [hide]
1 Symptoms
2 Risks
3 Prevention and treatment
4 External links



[edit]
Symptoms
Symptoms of rubella include:

swollen glands or lymph nodes (may persist for up to a week)
fever (rarely rises above 38 degrees Celsius [100.4 degrees Fahrenheit])
rash (Appears on the face and then spreads to the trunk and limbs. It appears as pink dots under the skin. It appears on the first or third day of the illness but it disappears after a few days with no staining or peeling of the skin)
Forchheimer's sign occurs in 20% of cases, and is characterized by small, red papules on the area of the soft palate
flaking, dry skin
inflammation of the eyes
nasal congestion
joint pain and swelling
pain in the lower abdomen
loss of appetite
headache
nerves become weak or numb (very rare)
[edit]
Risks
Rubella can affect anyone of any age and is generally a mild disease. However, rubella can cause congenital rubella syndrome in the fetus of an infected pregnant woman.

[edit]
Prevention and treatment
Symptoms are usually treated with acetaminophen until the disease has run its course. There is no treatment available for congenital rubella.

Fewer cases of rubella occur since a vaccine became available in 1969, although decreased uptake of the MMR vaccine (e.g. in the UK) is expected to lead to a rise in incidence. In most Western countries, the vast majority of people are vaccinated against rubella as children at 12 to 15 months of age. A second dose is required before age 11. The vaccine gives lifelong protection against rubella. A side-effect of the vaccine can be transient arthritis.

The immunization program has been quite successful with Cuba declaring the disease eradicated in the 1990s and the United States eradicating it in 2005 [1]. Every minister of health in the Americas plans to eliminate the disease by 2010.

[edit]
External links