$Unique_ID{PAR00142}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Rubella}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Rubella German measles virus viruses Swollen lymph nodes face Rash
fever appetite loss throat redness eyes acetaminophen immune immunized
immunity immunities obstetrician pregnant pregnancy birth defect defects
cataracts cleft palate heart problems deaf mentally retarded urine tests
infected stool nasal throat secretions viral infection infections culture
cultures antibody antibodies blood test}
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Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Rubella


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Swollen lymph nodes
     - Rash on face, spreading to body
     - Low-grade fever
     - Slight loss of appetite
     - Slight redness of throat and whites of eyes

     HOME CARE
     - Give acetaminophen to relieve fever.
     - Keep your child isolated from pregnant women.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Rubella contracted during the first three months of pregnancy presents
       a 50-50 chance of damage to the unborn child.  Before trying to become
       pregnant, a woman should be tested to find out if she is immune to
       rubella.  If she is not immune, she should be vaccinated at least three
       months before trying to become pregnant.
     - A pregnant woman who has been exposed to rubella should consult an
       obstetrician immediately.
     - All children should be immunized against rubella.


     Rubella, or German measles, is one of the mildest contagious diseases of
childhood.  However, it can damage the unborn child of a pregnant woman who
contracts the disease.  Women who contract rubella during the first three
months of pregnancy have a 50-50 chance of bearing an infant who has
cataracts, a cleft palate, or heart problems, or who is permanently deaf or
mentally retarded.
     Rubella is caused by a specific virus and can be transmitted by direct
contact with an infected person or by contact with articles contaminated by
urine, stool, or nasal or throat secretions from an infected person.  The
incubation period (the time it takes for symptoms to develop once a person has
been exposed to a disease) is 14 to 21 days.
     One attack of rubella usually confers lifelong immunity, but reinfection
is possible.  For that reason, pregnant women and women who are planning to
become pregnant should not assume that they are immune to rubella simply
because they have had it in the past.

     SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The characteristic first sign of rubella is swollen, tender lymph nodes
in front of and behind the ears, at the base of the skull, and on the sides of
the neck.  In a day or two, a fine or splotchy dark-pink rash appears on the
face.  The rash then spreads over the rest of the body within 24 hours.  The
rash usually lasts about three days and may be accompanied by a low-grade
fever (100 degrees_F to 101 degrees_F), slight reddening of the throat and the
whites of the eyes, and slight loss of appetite.
     The patient is contagious during the period from seven days before the
onset of the illness until four or five days after the appearance of the rash.
Infants born with rubella may be contagious for as long as 18 months after
birth.
     No other disease causes both a rash and tenderness and enlargement of the
particular lymph nodes involved in rubella.  Your doctor can confirm the
diagnosis by identifying the virus on cultures of throat secretions, blood, or
urine or by finding an increased level of antibodies (protective substances
that the body produces to fight infection) against rubella in the blood.

HOME CARE

     Give acetaminophen to reduce fever or discomfort.  Do not let your child
come in contact with pregnant women.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Before becoming pregnant, a woman either should be immunized against
     rubella or should receive a blood test to find out if she is immune to
     the disease.  If she is not immune, she should be immunized at least
     three months before trying to become pregnant.
  -  All children should be immunized against rubella.
  -  A pregnant woman who has been exposed to rubella should consult her
     doctor immediately.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Because rubella is so mild, doctors generally do not need to treat it in
children.  Relief of symptoms is all that is necessary.  However, the doctor
will establish the diagnosis by means of a physical examination and laboratory
tests.

RELATED TOPICS:  Glands, swollen; Immunizations; Rashes