Rubella

Causes and symptoms of rubella

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What is rubella?

Rubella is an acute viral infectious disease that relates to so-called "childhood diseases". The name of the disease reflects the characteristic color of the rash, which covered a person suffering from measles.

During the middle Ages this disease was spread very widely. At the same time a few centuries, experts believed that rubella is completely harmless to children. For a long time the connection between disease, fetal death and deformity children remained unsolved, just in the middle of the last century, vaccination against rubella is included in the national vaccination calendars of several dozen countries.

Causes rubella

The cause of rubella is a virus. The causative agent belongs to the group of togaviridae. The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets from an infected person. In addition, the route of infection can be transplacentary, in this case infection of the fetus occurs in the womb.

The virus remains only in the body of the animal and is easily destroyed by ultraviolet rays, pressure, low humidity and rise in temperature. At low temperature the microorganisms retain their viability for several years. The incubation period of rubella lasts no more than three weeks. The infected person becomes a carrier of the disease long before the onset of clinical manifestations of the disease.

In children, any symptoms of rubella may not be observed, therefore, the ill child while in the children's team, manages to infect the majority of his peers before he would be diagnosed with "rubella".

Outbreaks of rubella are recorded every five to seven years. Exacerbations occur annually in the spring or summer, not representing any danger for the people as the conventional preventive measures help to avoid serious epidemiological point of view, consequences.

The last large-scale epidemic accounted for 60 years. The outbreak was registered in North America. The disease has affected 20 million people. The impact of the epidemic also include cases of congenital deformities of the fetus, which was observed in several thousand pregnant women.

The symptoms of rubella

For the acquired form of the disease characterizedcycle. Among the first symptoms of rubella – malaise, headache, fever for a short time, pain in the joints. On the second or third knock after the start of rubella the patient is covered by characteristic small rash, which is pink.

A characteristic feature of the disease is that the individual elements of the rash spreading throughout the body, not merge with each other, as in measles, and pass, without leaving pigmentation and peeling.

Also the distinctive symptom of rubella is the increase in cervical lymph nodes, and also lymph nodes in the neck. Intoxication and fever are usually slightly pronounced, and in some cases non-existent. Often the disease is accompanied by mild symptoms, which complicates diagnosis.

Treatment of rubella

Treatment of rubella often do not require hospitalization. Child it is important to comply with bed rest, eat a healthy diet, get all the necessary vitamins, to drink a lot of liquid, except carbonated drinks. Specific therapy of the disease does not exist. The doctor pays attention to the General condition of the child, prescribing necessary symptomatic treatment.

When complications patients are referred to the hospital. Most often, the disease lasts for several days and takes place without any consequences. The immunity obtained after the transfer of rubella remains for life. In rare cases, rubella appears in adulthood, which is associated with individual characteristics of the immune system.

Preventive vaccination, isolation of sick and infected children help to prevent the epidemic. It is important to limit the communication media by pregnant women to prevent the appearance of disorders in the development of the fetus.

Vaccination of the entire population is included in the national immunization schedule. Vaccination is done intramuscularly or subcutaneously in the first year of a child's life, re-vaccination is carried out in six years. Specific immunity while providing all vaccinated, persisting for life.