Rubella outbreak in Japan
Did you know you can subscribe to postings from the CDC? This was a posting today that caught my eye. International travel makes it easy to spread highly contagious viral illnesses. Rubella, also known as the 'German Measles' or 3 day measles as the rash lasts for about 3 days. Be alert when seeing patients with fever and rash and always ask about travel history.
per CDC website: Person-to-person contact or droplets shed from the respiratory secretions of infected people. People may shed virus from 7 days before the onset of the rash to approximately 5–7 days after rash onset. Transmission from mother to fetus can also occur, with the highest risk of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) if infection occurs in the first trimester. Infants with CRS can transmit virus for up to 1 year after birth.