Rubella Outbreak Prompts Warning

Those traveling south of the border during the Easter holiday, especially pregnant women, are being warned about an outbreak of rubella in Mexico that is being blamed for more than two dozen cases in Texas. So far this year, 26 cases have been reported, including 18 in a U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service detention center in Port Isabel. All 18 detainees were from Mexico or had recently traveled to Mexico, where more than 2,000 cases of rubella have been reported, the Texas Department of Health said. The eight other Texas cases are scattered throughout the state. All had traveled to Mexico or had been exposed to someone who recently went there. The effects of the viral disease, also known as German measles, are mild in most people: low-grade fever, nagging aches and pains, irritated eyes, swollen lymph glands or a rash. But the effects on a developing fetus can be severe.