Typical symptoms of rubella are a mild rash, swollen and tender glands (especially behind the ear, at the back of the neck, and under the skull), and a slight fever. Also, some adolescent girls and adult women get joint pain (arthritis), especially in the small joints of the hands.
- Swollen glands in the neck area are common with many viral infections. The glands that are most affected by rubella are those located behind the ear and at the back of the head. The degree to which they become swollen and tender is unique to rubella.
- Sometimes a rash is the only symptom of rubella that young children develop.
- Older children and teens may have fever, eye pain, sore throat, and body aches. They may or may not get a rash.
- Symptoms of rubella, especially pain and swelling at the joints, may be more severe in adults than in children. Joint pain (more commonly seen in women) may take as long as a month to go away.
The rubella rash is mild, starts on the face, and spreads to the neck, the chest, and the rest of the body. It may first appear as a mild blush before it develops into a more pinpoint rash with distinctive spots. Rubella infection without a rash is also common. Even if you do not have a rash, you are still contagious.
Complications, such as infection of the brain (encephalitis), can arise from rubella. Encephalitis from rubella is very rare but serious.
In adults and children, rubella is usually a mild disease with infrequent complications. For pregnant women, however, rubella can cause serious birth defects (known as CRS, Congenital Rubella Syndrome) in the fetus, including:
- Deafness
- Cataracts
- Heart defects
- Mental deficiency
- Liver and spleen damage.
There is at least a 20 percent chance of damage to the fetus if a woman is infected early in her pregnancy.