It is infectious from a few days before the symptoms start, until a week after the rash first appears. The symptoms of rubella are initially like a mild cold. Then after a couple of days a pink rash appears. This is made up of extremely small and fine red spots. The rash often first appears on the face.
Rubella is a mild illness.
Like measles, it is seen less and less often as the national immunisation program is effective in reducing it to a rarity. The major complication of this disease is the malformations that occur in unborn babies if an infected pregnant mother is not immune. It is therefore important to keep a child with suspected rubella away from anyone who is pregnant until a week after the rash appears. If contact has occurred during the infectious period, the pregnant woman should have a blood test to check whether or not she is immune. This may already have been done as part of antenatal screening, but it is important to check.