Rubella

Postnatal rubella is generally a mild, self-limited condition. In nonpregnant patients, treatment is supportive. No specific antiviral therapy is available. The disease is usually so mild that symptomatic treatment is usually unnecessary, except for those with arthritis who may feel better with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for a brief period.

Rubella is a nationally notifiable disease in the US and UK.[11]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Yellow Book 2024. Section 5: travel-associated infections and diseases - rubella. May 2023 [internet publication]. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2024/infections-diseases/rubella [44]Public Health England. Notifiable diseases and causative organisms: how to report. May 2023 [internet publication]. http://www.gov.uk/guidance/notifiable-diseases-and-causative-organisms-how-to-report

Pregnant: susceptible to and exposed to rubella

Pregnant women with known exposure to rubella who are susceptible include those without immunity to rubella or who have uncertain immunity (no or unknown immunization history and no previous serologic testing). Regardless of symptoms, they should be referred to a high-risk perinatal specialist and a pediatric infectious disease specialist to evaluate the likelihood of fetal infection and risk of sequelae.

High dose polyclonal immune globulin may be of benefit for preventing clinical rubella but is not routinely recommended for this purpose because there is insufficient evidence for prevention of congenital rubella in the fetus.[45]Young MK, Cripps AW, Nimmo GR, et al. Post-exposure passive immunisation for preventing rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Sep 9;(9):CD010586. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010586.pub2/full http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26350479?tool=bestpractice.com This option may be considered for post-exposure prophylaxis.​