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Rubella is an infectious viral disease that is transmitted by airborne droplets. Rubella is a childhood disease. Rubella is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 15, which does not mean that it does not happen in adults either. The first symptoms of rubella are a rash that appears behind the ears and the characteristic enlarged lymph nodes. It also happens that rubella is asymptomatic.

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Rubellais an infectious disease with an incubation period of 14 to 21 days. The rubella infection period begins seven days before the onset of the rash and lasts one to two weeks after the rash has resolved. Gamma globulin is administered to pregnant women who have been in contact with the virus to prevent infection.

Rubella in children

Rubellain a child is treated by paediatricians as an infectious disease, but trivial, requiring no special treatment. Most children (about 70 percent) have very mild (or minor) symptoms, even without rash - that's whyrubellais difficult to diagnose.

Rubella in adults

In adults (and in some older children) unpleasant symptoms may appear:

  • joint pain for one or two days,
  • headache,

or so-called catarrhal symptoms:

  • Qatar,
  • cough,
  • conjunctivitis.

But they usually pass without complications. These ailments appear 2-3 weeks after infection, and because they are also typical of the common cold, they are often neglected.

Rubella: symptoms

  • A rash that initially appears behind the ears, then on the face, and then spreads over the body and limbs after a day. The rubella rash is non-itchy and appears as small pale pink spots, usually looking like an allergic rash to drugs, for example. The rash lasts 2 to 3 days, then fades and disappears in about 5 days without leaving any residue.
  • A fever can also appear and be as high as 39oC.
  • The enlargement of the lymph nodes is characteristic - on the nape and the back of the head, the nodes are painless. Sometimes enlarged nodes are the only symptom of rubella infection. The enlargement of the nodes may last longer than the rash.
  • Rubella is sometimes accompanied by pharyngitis.

Rubella: treatment

Rubella is treated symptomatically. Drugs to lower the fever are given. The patient with rubella should remain in bed. You should also limit his contacts with people who have not had rubella to avoid contamination.

Rubella: vaccinations

In Poland, vaccination of children against rubella is compulsory and is carried out twice. The vaccine is given in combination with the measles and mumps vaccine (MMR). Children at the age of 13-14 months are vaccinated for the first time, and then at the age of 6. The latter term is especially important for girls. It is assumed that the rubella vaccine protects against the disease for about 10 years. Permanent immunity to the virus is ensured only by the disease of rubella. There is no reason to protect children from getting "naturally" rubella.

Rubella: complications

Rubella , like any infectious disease, may end with serious complications, including :

  • rubella neuritis or encephalitis,
  • rubella purpura,
  • rubella arthritis (most often of the small joints of the hands).

Rubella in pregnant women is particularly dangerous, especially in the first trimester - becoming ill with it by a pregnant woman may lead to miscarriage and cause serious defects in the child (Gregg's syndrome): cardiovascular defects, damage to eyesight (glaucoma , cataracts, retinopathy), hydrocephalus, mental retardation, hypoplasia of the limbs in a child.

Dr. Piotr Gryglas: Rubella is an acute viral disease with a harmless course

Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN

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Infectious diseases