On the second or third day, a rash appears that begins at the hairline and spreads downward on the rest of the body. As the rash spreads downward on the body, it usually clears on the face. As the rash passes, the affected skin may be shed in flakes. When rubella occurs in a pregnant woman, it may cause congenital rubella syndrome with serious malformations of her developing fetus.
Rubella is an infection that primarily affects the skin and lymph glands.
It is caused by the rubella virus, which can be found in the throat, blood, and stool of an infected person. The virus usually enters the body through the nose or throat, but it can also pass through a pregnant woman's bloodstream to infect her unborn child. Since this is a generally mild disease in children, the primary medical danger of rubella is the infection of pregnant women, which may potentially cause congenital rubella syndrome in the developing infant. Before a vaccine against rubella became available in 1969, there were rubella epidemics every 6 to 9 years. Those primarily affected by rubella were children ages 5 to 9 and adults, but there were also many cases of congenital rubella.