Rubella is a mild febrile rash illness caused by rubella virus. It is transmitted from person to person via droplets (the virus is present in throat secretions). It affects mainly, but not only, children and when pregnant women are infected, it may result in malformation of the foetus. Humans are the only reservoir of infection.
In 2021, 9 of the 23 EU/EEA countries who contributed data reported 47 confirmed congenital syphilis cases. Fourteen countries reported zero cases. For 2020, 10 of the 25 countries that contributed data reported 49 cases.