Rubella is a re-emerging infection. The last big rubella outbreak in the United States was in 1964, with an estimated 12.5 million cases and approximately 20,000 babies were born with severe birth defects. A record low of 128 cases was reported in 1995. In 1997, rubella re-emerged with an outbreak in North Carolina, primarily among persons born outside the 50 states. As many as 12 million women of childbearing age remain susceptible to the disease.
Rubella is a mild rash illness caused by a virus.
It is spread through the air by droplets from the nose, throat and mouth of an infected person by coughing, sneezing or simply talking. It is characterized by a slight fever that lasts about 24 hours and a rash on the face and neck that lasts two or three days. To guard against the tragic effects of rubella, the Oklahoma State Department of Health recommends that all unprotected adults should receive the rubella vaccine. Unprotected adults include all adults born since 1956 who do not have a record of receiving at least one dose of rubella vaccine, foreign-born adults of any age, and all women of childbearing age, unless they have a record of having received at least one dose of rubella vaccine or have tested positive for rubella. Children already are protected, through state law that requires school children to be vaccinated against rubella.