Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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Symptoms of Rubella
The symptoms of rubella appear two to three weeks after infection. This length of time is called the ‘incubation period’.
Children are rarely very ill but may have a slightly raised temperature and swollen glands on the neck and behind the ears. Teenagers and adults can develop high fever, headache, joint pains and sore throat. Some people don’t have any symptoms at all; this is called a 'sub-clinical infection'.
A rash of pink-red spots the size of pinheads usually appears shortly after the glands swell. The rash starts on the face and ears and gradually spreads to the trunk and limbs. The rash lasts 1-5 days and doesn’t need any treatment.
Sore red eyes (conjunctivitis) may develop for a few days.
A person who has rubella is highly infectious from one week before the rash appears to about four or five days afterwards. Children with rubella should be kept away from other children for the whole time they are infectious. Anyone with suspected rubella should not come into contact with pregnant women.
Very rarely, the virus that causes rubella will cause an inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or bleeding disorders.
