Rubella, also commonly called “German measles,” was previously thought to be a variant of measles until 1814, when it was first correctly referred to as a separate disease in the literature German doctor. Although the rubella rash looks similar to the rash associated with measles, rubella is less severe and contagious. Rubella is characterized by a red rash that appears initially on the face, spreads to the trunk, arms and legs and disappears in the same progression. The rash is similar to many other viral rashes and must be confirmed by blood tests for the presence of rubella antibodies. The rash itself presents with mild discomfort accompanied by symptoms similar to those of the common cold. Symptoms may include mild fever (<102 degrees Fahrenheit), sore throat, headache, and red eyes. Adults, especially women, may also experience joint pain and swollen lymph nodes. About 50% of people infected with rubella will not have any symptoms. Symptoms typically last two to three days and appear two to three weeks after exposure to the virus. Although rubella is generally a mild disease, rare cases can cause encephalitis (an infection of the brain) which occurs in about one in six thousand cases, or temporary blood problems; both rarely result in long-term consequences. The most devastating symptom of rubella is the development of congenital rubella syndrome when a pregnant woman transmits the virus to her fetus. Infected pregnant women have a 90% chance of transmitting the virus to their fetus, which can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths and serious birth defects. These defects include: glaucoma, cataracts, bone disease, growth retardation, abnormal muscles... middle of the paper... the vaccine is administered and some have mistakenly taken it as cause and effect. Celebrities and other individuals who tell others not to vaccinate their children because it is unsafe could potentially expose a large portion of the population who are unprotected and therefore potentially susceptible to contracting rubella. While there is no cultural group that is particularly susceptible to rubella, a study by a Mayo Clinic Vaccinologist, published February 26, 2014 in the journal Vaccine, indicates that Black Americans respond better to the rubella vaccine than those of European or Hispanic ancestry. . The researchers found that Somali Americans developed twice as many rubella antibodies after receiving the current approved rubella vaccination compared to white Americans. Hispanics appeared to have the lowest immune response to the vaccine.