what is the measles germ called
Knowledge center. Rubella, also known as German measles, is an infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. The virus passes from person-to-person via droplets in the air expelled when infected people cough or sneeze-the virus may also be present in the urine, feces and on the skin.he name rubella comes from the Latin word rubella meaning little red. As the disease was first described by German doctors in the mid-eighteenth century, it is also known as German measles. Rubella is usually mild and frequently passes unnoticed.