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This disease is caused by a pathogen known as the rubella virus.
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The virus is transmitted from person to person via the respiratory route when the infected person sneezes or coughs.
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It can also be transmitted when a person comes in direct contact with an infected individual’s respiratory secretions.
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Furthermore, the disease can also be passed from a pregnant woman to the unborn child via the bloodstream.
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Once the virus enters the body, it starts replicating in the nasopharynx and lymph nodes.
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After 5-8 days, it enters the bloodstream and then starts spreading to the rest of the body.
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The patient is most contagious during the incubation period, which is 7-14 days before the rash appears.
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Therefore an infect person can spread the disease to other people before realizing he/she is sick.