Japan’s rubella outbreak exceeds 10,000 cases

The rubella oubreak in Japan has eclipsed the 10,000 case mark this month, making it nearly five times the number of cases reported in all of 2012, according to a Japan Times report.

Image/CIA

According to the  National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the total so far this year is10,102 cases, compared with 2,392 for the whole of 2012.

Osaka has been hit the hardest by the viral disease, followed by Tokyo.  

Rubella or German measles is a mild, febrile viral disease characterized by a rash and fever. The rash is clinically indistinguishable from those produced by measles, parvovirus B19 and scarlet fever. This highly communicable disease is contagious from about 1 week before and four days after onset of the rash.

Rubella is important because of its ability to cause problems with the developing fetus. Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) can cause miscarriage; and mental retardation, deafness or cataracts and other birth defects in the newborn.

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