Vietnamese health authorities say a rubella outbreak was first recorded early this month at a US-invested furniture company in an industrial park in Binh Duong Province has grown to affect 30 people, according to a Thanh Nien News report today.

Rubella virus/CDC
Rubella virus/CDC

The General Department of Preventive Medicine has said that up to 138 people at the company showed symptoms of rubella.

Rubella, sometimes called German measles or three-day measles, is a contagious disease caused by a virus. According to the CDC, rubella is a disease spread by the coughs and sneezes of infected people. Symptoms include rash and fever for 2 to 3 days. Some people do not feel sick. If a pregnant woman gets rubella virus, her baby could have birth defects such as deafness, cataracts, heart defects, mental disabilities, and organ damage.

Prevention of rubella is through vaccination.

Related: Vietnam measles outbreak prompts CDC travel notice

Around 23 million children aged between 1 and 14 are supposed to receive free measles and rubella vaccines in 63 cities and provinces across Vietnam under a campaign starting last September, according to the report. At last count more than 17 million of them have been vaccinated.

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