Overview
Rubella infection is transmitted from a pregnant woman to foetus,thus resulting in babies born with various diseases.It is contagious,but usually shows only mild viral infection that occurs in children and young adults.Congenital rubella syndrome can cause deafness,heart defects,mental retardation and cataract in newborn babies.The foetus gets infected within the first 3 months of pregnancy.It is vaccine preventable.Pregnant women infected with rubella infection are at risk of foetal deaths or defects which is known as congenital rubella syndrome.Rubella spreads through air when someone infected by it sneeze or cough.The virus replicates in the lymph nodes and the nasopharynx, the tube connecting the nasal cavity and the soft palate. Between 5 and 7 days after infection, the virus spreads throughout the body in the blood.Rubella — commonly known as German measles or 3-day measles — is an infection that mostly affects the skin and lymph nodes. It is caused by the rubella virus (not the same virus that causes measles).
Symptoms of rubella infection
Mild fever,rashes and illness may occur in children.Pregnant women infected by rubella vaccine are at risks of miscarriage,foetal death and stillbirth.Babies are at risk of congenital birth defects known as congenital rubella syndrome.Children born under such circumstances are likely to suffer from hearing difficulty and defects in eye and heart.They may also have diabetes mellitus or thyroid dysfunction.Up to 70% of women who get rubella may experience arthritis; this is rare in children and men. In rare cases, rubella can cause serious problems, including brain infections and bleeding problems.
Vaccination
There is no specific treatment for rubella,the disease can be prevented by vaccination.Rubella titer test used to check rubella antibodies presence in your blood.A positive test is 1.0 or higher. That means you have rubella antibodies in your blood and are immune to future infection. A negative test is 0.7 or lower. You have too few antibodies to make you immune.Pregnant women may be treated with antibodies called hyperimmune globulin that can fight off the virus. This can help reduce your symptoms. However, there's still a chance that your baby will develop congenital rubella syndrome.The rubella test is used to detect antibodies in the blood that develop in response to a rubella infection or immunization. Rubella testing may help pregnant women and those planning to become pregnant have a sufficient amount (titer) of rubella antibodies to protect them from infection.Women should make sure they are protected from rubella before they get pregnant.The vaccine should not be given to women who are already pregnant as it contains a live version of the virus.In the prenatal period, ultrasound examination may fail to diagnose CRS but molecular analysis performed on amniotic fluid (collected at least 6 weeks after maternal infection and after 21 weeks of gestation) will confirm congenital infection.In the postnatal period, its classic triad of clinical signs may suspect CRS: cataract, heart disease, and deafness and confirmed by positive Rubella specific IgM in the newborn.
