after exposure. The rash usually occurs initially on the face
and then progresses from head to foot. It lasts about 3
days and is occasionally pruritic. The rash is fainter than
measles rash and does not coalesce. The rash is often more
prominent after a hot shower or bath. Lymphadenopathy
may begin a week before the rash and last several weeks.
Postauricular, posterior cervical, and suboccipital nodes are
commonly involved.
Arthralgia and arthritis occur so frequently in adults that
they are considered by many to be an integral part of
the illness rather than a complication. Other symptoms
of rubella include conjunctivitis, testalgia, or orchitis.
Forschheimer spots may be noted on the soft palate but are
not diagnostic for rubella.