Finding Information Online About Rubella or German Measles

Rubella is also known as German Measles or as the 3-day measles. While it affects mostly children, adults can get this disease as it spreads very easily among people who have not been vaccinated. Outbreaks normally take place in the Winter and Spring, but can occur at any time of the year. Rubella is a fairly mild illness, but where it can really be dangerous is to unborn babies. If a pregnant woman gets rubella while she is pregnant, the chances of giving birth to a malformed infant are extremely high. There is a rubella vaccine and all 50 states in the United States require that children be immunized against rubella before entering public school. For those interested, the internet is a good, accessible resource for finding out more about rubella, the vaccine, and potential risks and dangers.

Medicine Plus, a service of the United States National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, has a clearinghouse page available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/rubella.html that provides links to articles, overview explanations of rubella, photos and other pertinent information on the disease.

Kids health.org - while being a site geared toward a readership of children, is an extremely informative and helpful site. The information about rubella can be found at http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/german_measles.html. Organized in a very accessible style, this site provides information on the rubella virus, signs and symptoms, and available treatment options.

There is a good, basic fact sheet also available online at http://www.dhpe.org/infect/rubella.html. This site is laid out in a question and answer style and providing information about symptoms, treatment, prevention and other details concerning the highly-contagious rubella.

An article titled, “What Causes German Measles?” can be found on the Medical Symptom Guide website at http://www.bloggingdoctor.com/paediatrics/rubella/. This site also includes a picture of a child infected with the disease, as well as good medical information.