Criteria

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013 case definition[45]

Suspected

  • Any generalised rash illness of acute onset that does not meet the criteria for probable or confirmed rubella or any other illness.

Probable

  • Absence of a more likely diagnosis and all of the following:

    • Acute onset of generalised maculopapular rash

    • Fever >37.2°C (99°F), if measured

    • Arthralgia, arthritis, lymphadenopathy, or conjunctivitis

    • Lack of epidemiological linkage to a laboratory-confirmed case

    • Non-contributory or no serological or virological testing.

Confirmed

  • A person with or without symptoms who has laboratory evidence of rubella infection confirmed by one or more of the following tests:

    • Isolation of rubella virus

    • Detection of rubella-virus specific nucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction

    • IgG seroconversion or a significant rise in serum rubella IgG antibody titres between acute- and convalescent-phase sera as measured by any standard serological assay

    • Positive serological test for rubella IgM antibody (note: false-positives are reported in people with some other acute viral illnesses and in the presence of rheumatoid factor).

  • Or, an illness characterised by all of the following:

    • Acute onset of generalised maculopapular rash

    • Fever >37.2°C (99°F), if measured

    • Arthralgia, arthritis, lymphadenopathy, or conjunctivitis

    • Epidemiological linkage to a laboratory-confirmed case of rubella.

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