Pathogenicity: incubation 2 to 3 weeks; symptoms much milder than rubeola; normally only small red spots with rash and a light fever; complications are rare - encephalitis occurs in only 1 out of 6000 cases, mostly adults.
Treatment: vaccine marketed in 1969, replaced by a more effective version in 1979; 90% of those vaccinated are protected for 15 years.
Other: danger to pregnant women occurs if infected during the first trimester. They can develop "congenital rubella syndrome," first discovered in 1941. There is a 35% incidence of serious fetal damage and 15% of the infants die during their first year of life.
Rubella (German Measles)
