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Rubella

Rubella is usually a mild viral illness.

If a pregnant woman catches rubella – especially in the first three months of her pregnancy – it can lead to birth defects in her unborn baby. This may include deafness, cataracts, heart problems, intellectual disability, behavioural problems, and in some cases, miscarriage can occur.

 

Vaccination

Your family/whānau’s best protection against rubella is to be immunised. Protection from rubella is part of the free measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccinations given to children at 12 months and 15 months of age. There is no rubella-only vaccine available in NZ. If you think you or your child may not have had these vaccinations, see your doctor.

All women of child-bearing age can be screened at no cost to see whether they’re immune to rubella. Checking for rubella immunity should be done before a woman gets pregnant as MMR vaccination is not recommended in pregnancy. Men should ensure that they have had their two free MMR vaccinations. This prevents them from catching the disease, and protects pregnant women and those unable to be vaccinated.

If you are concerned about rubella call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or contact your doctor or practice nurse.

Rubella is spread through the air by swallowing or breathing in the cough or sneeze droplets from someone who has the disease. People with rubella are infectious from a week before the rash appears until a week after.

If you’ve caught rubella it takes around two to three weeks to then become sick.

In children the symptoms are:

  • a rash (starting behind the ears and spreading to the face, neck, and body)
  • fever
  • swollen glands

 

Teenagers and adults normally spend one to five days feeling unwell with a fever, runny nose and cough. This is followed by symptoms of:

  • a rash (starting behind the ears and spreading to the face, neck, and body)
  • fever
  • swollen glands
  • joint pain

There are no specific treatments for rubella and symptoms usually go away after a few days. There are things you can do to help you feel better, such as:

  • using paracetamol to reduce pain and discomfort
  • making sure you drink enough water or other fluids so you don’t get dehydrated.

If you have rubella you should stay away from school, early childhood services and work for seven days from the appearance of the rash to prevent the spread of rubella in your community. You should also avoid having visitors to your home. Avoid contact with anyone who is pregnant.

Let people you have been with know that you or your child has rubella so they can check their own immunity. National Public Health Service (NPHS) - Northern Region will also provide advice to people who may be at risk of catching rubella from you.

Rubella is a notifiable disease. This means that health professionals or laboratories will inform us when someone has rubella. This allows us to monitor the number of people who have the disease and give health professionals advice on how to reduce the spread of rubella. NPHS - Northern Region will also speak to the person with rubella about who they have been in close contact with. We will provide these people with advice on how to protect themselves and avoid spreading it further.

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

There are specific requirements for notifiable diseases in the Auckland region.

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Last updated 13.12.2022

For health advice call Healthline for free anytime on 0800 611 116
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