Rubella, more commonly known as German measles, is a contagious viral disease. Its primary symptom is a widespread spotty red rash on the skin, occasionally in conjunction with a slight fever and swollen glands. The disease is very mild in children and rarely causes serious symptoms even in adults.
However, pregnant women are at serious risk from rubella as if the fetus is exposed, the newborn can develop congenital rubella syndrome, resulting in defects in heart structure, sight, brain function and hearing. The earlier in the pregnancy the mother contracts the disease, the more likely it is that the newborn will develop the symptoms.
Rubella is becoming increasingly rare since the 1960s as toddlers are now routinely vaccinated against the disease along with measles and mumps at the age of six months.