Health Womens
What is Rubella?
Rubella is a mild, highly contagious illness that is caused by a virus. It is characterized by a rash, swollen glands and, especially in adults, joint pain. The rash usually lasts about three days and may be accompanied by a low fever. Other symptoms such as headache, loss of appetite and sore throat are more common in infected adults and teenagers than in children. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all.Rubella is caused by a different virus from the one that causes regular measles (rubeola). Immunity to rubella does not protect a person from measles, or vice versa.
What Risks Does Rubella Pose for the Fetus?
About 25 percent of babies whose mothers contract rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy are born with one or more birth defects which, together, are referred to as congenital rubella syndrome. These birth defects include eye defects (resulting in vision loss or blindness), hearing loss, heart defects, mental retardation and, less frequently, cerebral palsy.Many children with congenital rubella syndrome are slow in learning to walk and to do simple tasks, though some eventually catch up and do well.
The infection frequently causes miscarriage and stillbirth. The risk of congenital rubella syndrome drops to around one percent, after maternal infection in the early weeks of the second trimester, and there is rarely any risk of birth defects when maternal rubella occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Some infected babies have health problems that aren't lasting. They may be born with low birthweight (less than 5.5 pounds), or have feeding problems, diarrhea, pneumonia, meningitis (inflammation around the brain) or anemia. Red-purple spots may show up on their faces and bodies because of temporary blood abnormalities that can result in a tendency to bleed easily. The liver and spleen may be enlarged.
Some infected babies appear normal at birth and during infancy. However, all babies whose mothers had rubella during pregnancy should be monitored carefully because problems with vision, hearing, learning and behavior may first become noticeable during childhood. Children with congenital rubella syndrome also are at increased risk of diabetes, which may develop during childhood or adulthood.
Prevention?
All children should be vaccinated against rubella, unless there is a medical reason why they should not. Widespread vaccination of children helps prevent the spread of this illness to others, especially pregnant women.The first vaccine dose is routinely given at 12 to 15 months of age, usually in combination with the measles and mumps vaccines. The combined vaccination is referred to as MMR. The child should not receive the first dose of MMR before 12 months of age. Before that, the baby still has some of its mother's antibodies, which can interfere with the vaccine and keep it from working. A second dose of MMR is given at either age 4 to 6 years or 11 to 12 years.
Vaccination of teenage or adult groups in colleges, workplaces, hospitals (staff and volunteers) helps prevent outbreaks in those areas. People working in newborn nurseries should be vaccinated, since infants born with rubella can spread it to those around them for a while after birth. Susceptible women of childbearing age also should consider being vaccinated before traveling abroad, as rubella is widespread in many countries.
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