Rubella

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Rubella

Disease surveillance

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In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, rubella surveillance is integrated with measles laboratory case based surveillance. The performance indicators for rubella surveillance are linked to those for measles  surveillance performance indicators.

Rubella infection is diagnosed by detection of rubella IgM antibodies using ELISA assay.

Countries with high incidence test first for measles and negative specimens are then tested for rubella. Countries with low measles incidence  test the specimen for measles and rubella simultaneously.  . The Region is considering setting target date for rubella elimination.

Vaccine and vaccination

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The rubella vaccine is effective and safe. The vaccine is available either in monovalent formulation or in combinations with other vaccine viruses, as with vaccines against measles (MR), measles and mumps (MMR), or measles, mumps and varicella (MMRV).

Disease and epidemiology

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Rubella is contagious infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. The infection is usually mild sub-clinical. Possible presenting symptoms are fever, red rash blotchy and swollen lymph glands. The infection is transmitted by respiratory droplets from the nose or throat mucous secretions of infected individual.

The incubation period for rubella ranges between 14 and 21 days. Childhood infection is often mild and resolves without complication. But when infection is contracted by women in early pregnancy, the virus passes through the pregnant woman's bloodstream to infect her unborn child. That may present serious fetus complications, fetal death or birth defects which is called congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).