More than 1,500 airline passengers may have been exposed to rubella , after an air stewardess unknowingly contracted the disease . The unnamed China Airlines flight attendant began developing symptoms for the disease - also known as German measles - on March 14 . Four days later , doctors confirmed she had German measles and was placed in quarantine , the People 's Daily Online reported . Incubation : The air stewardess on the China Airlines flight ( not pictured ) contracted the disease in February . But the woman , from northern Taiwan , may have infected a number of people during the incubation period - including passengers on the flights . The Chinese Centre for Disease Control ( CDC ) is now hoping to follow up with 1,558 people who travelled on China Airline 's flights between February 21 and February 28 , according to Asia One . It is thought 686 Taiwan nationals and 872 international passengers came into contact with the stewardess . But so far , it has only managed to contact 72 of the individuals - and has encouraged anyone who may have travelled on the flights to come forward . Six of the flights were international - four between Taiwan to Japan , and two between Taiwan and Singapore . The CDC is contacting the appropriate authorities in each country to track down the last of the international passengers . Search : But she may have come into contact with as many as 1,558 people before symptoms arrived . Rash : An example of the rash rubella causes . German measles is one of a number of similar viral infections that children commonly pick up at school . These infections , called enteroviruses or adenoviruses , cause fine pink rashes and mild fevers . Rubella - sometimes known as German measles - can cause serious damage to a developing baby if caught by a pregnant woman so it is important to keep an infected child away from pregnant women . The condition has an incubation period of two to three weeks , but actually only lasts for three to five days . An infected child will be infectious from a week before symptoms of the illness appear until four days after the patient appears to have recovered . China Airlines is the flagship carrier for China , and is based in Taiwan . It operates about 1,300 commercial flights every week to destinations around the world .
China Airline 's flight attendant diagnosed with disease this month . But may have exposed 1,558 passengers to German measles in February . Centre for Disease Control is now trying to track each one down .