Rubella infection is commonly known as "German measles" or "3-day measles". Since this is a generally mild disease in children, the primary medical danger of rubella is the infection of pregnant women, which may potentially cause congenital rubella syndrome in the developing infant. Mode Of Transmission: Contact with Nasopharyngeal secretions of infected persons; droplet spread or direct contact with patients; indirect contact with freshly infected articles; in closed environments, all susceptibles may be infected; infected infants shed large quantities of virus. The the rubella virus passes from person to person through droplets and fluids from the nose and throat. Persons with rubella are contagious from one week before the rash appears until one week after it fades. The rubella rash may last from 1 to 5 days, but 3 days is the most common duration. Children with rubella usually recover in 1 week, but adults may take longer.
Effects of the infection:
An infection by rubella virus can have the following effects :
- Fetal death
- Congenital birth defects
- Mental retardation and anatomical effects
- Cataract or glucoma
- Congenital heart disease
- Neonatal purpura
- Blindness
- Damage to the foetus is indirectly proportional to the age of gestation
- Maximum damage during the first trimester
Signs and symptoms ;
- It may begin with 1or 2 days fever (99 degrees F to 100 degrees F)
- Swollen glands that are usually found either in the neck or behind the ears
- On the second or third day, a rash appears that begins at the hairline and spreads downward on the rest of the body. As the rash spreads downward on the body, it usually clears on the face. The rubella rash appears as either pink or light red spots, about 0.1 inches (2 to 3 mm) in diameter, which may merge to form evenly colored patches. The rash doesn't itch, and lasts up to 5 days (the average is 3 days).
- Mild conjunctivitis (inflamation of the lining of the eyelids and eyeballs )
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Swollen lymph glands in other regions of the body
- Pain and swelling in the joints