Rubella is a viral infectious disease in childhood, but adults can also suffer from it. It is usually mild and does not last long. However, it should not be taken lightly - especially in the case of women planning to become pregnant or pregnant.

Rubella is manifested by a mild headache, runny nose, scratchy throat, cough, sometimes slight diarrhea. These ailments appear 2-3 weeks after infection, and because they are also typical of the common cold, they are sometimes neglected. A sign that we are dealing with rubella is the enlargement and painfulness of the lymph nodes behind the ears and on the neck, temperature up to 39oC, as well as rash1 . Initially, tiny, vivid red lumps with a tendency to coalesce into spots appear on the face and then all over the body. The rash lasts for 2-3 days, then fades and disappears. The enlargement of the lymph nodes also goes back1 .

How to treat rubella

Pediatricians treat rubella as a banal disease that does not require any special treatment. Most children (about 70%) experience it very mildly (or with minor symptoms), even without rash - hence the difficulty in diagnosing it. In adults, unpleasant ailments appear, but usually pass without complications. Rubella patients should stay in bed, regardless of their age. Contact with people who have not been ill should also be limited to avoid contamination. Antipyretic drugs and cool drinks can be given when rubella is very hot. After recovery, you should think about taking preparations that strengthen the body (e.g. vitamin preparations).

Rubella infection is dangerous during pregnancy.

The alarm bell should sound if we are parents of girls or if a woman is planning to become pregnant. In the first case, we are taken care of by compulsory vaccinations (you absolutely must not neglect them!), And in the second, we have to take care of ourselves. Rubella in pregnant women may lead to the development of serious fetal defects. The virus is especially dangerous in the first trimester of pregnancy, especially in the first eight weeks of pregnancy, when the organs of the unborn baby are taking shape. It does not yet have its own systemthe immune system, and the mother's infected blood carries the virus into her body. The risk of fetal defects in infected women ranges from 10 to 50%. These defects usually include the eyes (cataracts, glaucoma), hearing organs (deafness), and the brain (mental retardation, hydrocephalus). Bone deformities and damage to the heart and liver can also occur. Getting rubella between the 12th and 16th week of pregnancy reduces the risk of infection in the fetus in half. Infection later in pregnancy (after 16 weeks) does not have to cause malformations1 .

Key Recommendations
  • Childhood rubella immunizes against the virus. Women who are unsure if they had childhood rubella and plan to become pregnant should have a blood test for antibodies (this referral test is free). The results should be reported to the doctor who will decide whether to vaccinate. A vaccine (such as Rudivax) is available for purchase; you can buy it with a prescription at a pharmacy.
  • If the pregnant woman has not been ill and has not been vaccinated against rubella, she should contact only he althy people.
  • Before meeting friends who have children, do not hesitate to ask them if they are fully he althy and if they have had rubella.
  • Pregnant women who have been in contact with a person infected with the rubella virus and do not know if they are immune to it - should contact a doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor will decide whether to give you an injection of immune globin. The time that has elapsed since contact with the sick person should be as short as possible.

Important!

Rubella incubation time ranges from 12 to 23 days (average 14 days) 1. The period of infection begins seven days before the onset of the rash and lasts one to two weeks after the rash has cleared.

Rubella - full protection

  • In Poland, vaccination of children against rubella is obligatory and performed twice.
  • Children are vaccinated for the first time at the age of 13-14 months, and then at puberty, ie at the age of 13. The latter term is especially important for girls. The administered vaccine can be combined and then immunizes against measles, mumps and rubella. It is assumed that such a vaccine protects against disease for a period of about 10 years.
  • Permanent immunity to the virus can only be obtained from the disease of rubella.
  • There is no reason to protect children against the natural disease of rubella - of course, only if their body is not weakened by a recent illness.

Dr. Piotr Gryglas about rubella in timepregnancy: This is a very serious matter

Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN

References:

1. Bacz A., Różyczka in pregnant women, Practical Medicine

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