rubella

[ roo-bel-uh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Pathology.

a usually mild contagious viral disease characterized by fever, mild upper respiratory congestion, and a fine red rash lasting a few days: if contracted by a woman during early pregnancy, it may cause serious damage to the fetus.

rubella

/ ruːˈbɛlə /

a mild contagious viral disease, somewhat similar to measles, characterized by cough, sore throat, skin rash, and occasionally vomiting. It can cause congenital defects if caught during the first three months of pregnancy Also calledGerman measles

rubella

/ ro̅o̅-bĕl′ə /

rubella

Origin of rubella¹

1880–85; < New Latin, noun use of neuter plural of Latin rubellus reddish, derivative of ruber red ¹; for formation castellum

Origin of rubella¹

C19: from New Latin, from Latin rubellus reddish, from rubeus red

This happens, for instance, in one out of five vaccinations against rubella.

From 1962-1965, there was a worldwide epidemic of rubella, the so-called “German measles.”

It is currently administered as one of the components of the MMR vaccine (along with measles and rubella).

So too with rubella: the U.S. was certified as rubella-free in 2004, meaning that no cases were seen in persons residing here.

Thus the infants likely exposed countless health-care workers to large amounts of rubella virus.

German measles, or rubella, is a distinct disease and has nothing to do with ordinary measles.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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