Rubella (sometimes called German measles) spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Children infected with rubella virus can have a rash, fever and swollen lymph nodes.
Older children can develop swollen glands and an upper respiratory infection before they develop a rash.
Rubella is generally a mild illness, but can cause miscarriage or serious birth defects if it infects pregnant women.
The vaccine for rubella also protects against measles and mumps.
Vaccine Recommendations
All children should get two doses of MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) or MMRV (measles-mumps-rubella-varicella) vaccine starting at age one year to protect against measles. Some teens and adults may also need MMR vaccine if they did not get two doses when they were younger.