Rubella is an unpleasant infection, but it leads to serious consequences only in case of intrauterine infection of the fetus. To protect the body from the virus, there are special vaccinations that are given at an early age and help to get rid of problems once and for all. In the event that you do not remember about vaccination, there are simple and quick ways to find out if there are antibodies to this substance in the blood.
What is this?
Rubella was first thought to be a variety of measles or scarlet fever and was referred to as the "third disease". Its name means "little red" in Latin. In 1814, in Germany, it was first discovered that this is a completely independent disease, which immediately acquired the nickname "German measles".
This is a fairly mild disease that is often asymptomatic, goes unnoticed, and does little harm. Can causemild fever and a rash that goes away after a few days. However, there are also unpleasant exceptions. Below we will look at rubella options in children, symptoms and treatment.
Prevention of the disease is carried out with the help of MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) or MMRV (which also includes chickenpox) vaccinations.
When a woman is pregnant, rubella can be very dangerous and cause serious problems. If infected in the first 3 months of pregnancy, the baby may have problems with vision, hearing, heart, and complications can provoke premature birth.
Man is the only carrier of this infection, which occurs in many countries of the world. Periodic outbreaks of the epidemic occur among the unvaccinated population, but if you get sick once, the patient becomes protected from the virus for life.
Pathogen
The rubella virus is the only member of the Rubivirus genus of the Togavirus family and is not activated when crossing with other members of the group. It has an RNA inside that contains all the basic information that is distributed in the cytoplasm.
Initially, rubella is transmitted through contact with the carrier of the infection and enters the body from the upper respiratory organs. The virus replicates locally (in the epithelium, lymph nodes), which leads to viremia and spreads to other tissues. As a result, symptoms of the disease develop, which appear after an incubation period of approximately 2 weeks (12 to 23 days) frominitial infection. There is likely an immunological basis for the rash, as it occurs as antibody titers rise.
This virus is relatively unstable and is inactivated using lipid solutions, formalin, low PH, heat, trypsin and amantadine.
Signs and symptoms
Because rubella tends to become more severe with age, IgG positive effects are desirable as early as possible.
The disease in young children often goes unnoticed and this can make diagnosis difficult.
When severe, typical symptoms include: swollen glands or lymphadenopathy, fever not exceeding 38 degrees, rashes, peeling, dry skin, cold symptoms, joint pain, swelling, and loss of appetite. A maculopapular rash begins on the face and lasts from 12 hours to several days. The patient is contagious for about 1 week before the onset of obvious signs and about the same after that.
Complications are rare, but rubella encephalopathy (headache, nausea, lethargy, convulsions) occurs in about 1 in 6,000 cases. Such a development of events is possible a few days after the rash and, in the most unfavorable outcome, death may occur. Other rare diseases caused by the underlying infection include: orchitis, neuritis, and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (PSP).
In 1941, among the discoveries of the congenital rubella syndrome, an association was found between severe birth defects andthe occurrence of rubella in pregnant women in the 1st trimester.
T-cell immunity plays an important role in the restoration of the body. IgM continues to circulate through the vessels up to a year after the transferred rubella. Antibodies of the IgG class give a positive response in the same way as group A immunoglobulins in case of infection. However, their distribution throughout the body has completely different timing.
Why should you be afraid of rubella?
The virus poses a major threat to pregnant women and babies. If a woman has never been sick and has not received a vaccine, then she has no protection (immunity) from the disease. Accordingly, after conception, such a mother is able to catch the infection and pass it on to the child, as a result of which he may suffer. It is especially important to remember this in the first months of pregnancy. It is during this period of time that the fetus earns CRS (congenital rubella syndrome) by transmitting rubella, leading to mental impairment, poor motor skills and posture, lethargy, damage to nerves and bones, irritability, pneumonitis, etc. The infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirth, as well as the classic a triad of congenital diseases - hearing loss, ophthalmic disorders and heart disease.
The virus persists after birth, occurring in the upper respiratory organs, urine, feces, and can be transmitted to others for quite a long time (about a year). In the future, people with this syndrome may develop additional complications: diabetes mellitus (up to 20%), thyroid dysfunction, deficiencygrowth hormone and eye complications. All this can be the consequences of rubella. It is very important to get a positive result for IgG at the stage of planning a child, so you should definitely do a test, and in the absence of immunity, acquire it artificially.
Prevention
The disease is most often prevented with a vaccine. The widespread use of this product stops outbreaks and the occurrence of congenital malformations caused by CRS. Vaccination is usually given to children between the ages of 12 and 15 months as part of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. The second dose of the drug is administered in the fourth to sixth year of life.
This method provides lifelong protection against disease. The drug is safe and can only occasionally cause fever, lymphedema, arthralgia, and pain at the injection site.
The best prevention of the disease is to maintain high immunization levels, intensive surveillance for rubella cases and prompt control of outbreaks.
Not being vaccinated or having prior exposure to the disease can increase virulence.
In the case of planning a child, it is imperative to conduct tests for G and M substances. Vaccination will most likely not be needed if the IgG response to rubella is positive. In any case, your doctor will decipher the results of the study, so you should not draw any conclusions on your own. If you have never been sick before, your gynecologist will recommend an injection to protect against infection. After that, you should wait 1 month before getting pregnant,to fully protect your child.
Diagnosis
Rubella is similar in presentation to many other diseases, such as human parvovirus, enterovirus, some arboviruses and adenoviruses, Epstein-Barr virus, scarlet fever, and toxic drug reactions.
One of three tests is usually done to confirm that a person is infected. IgG positive rubella will be listed in case of current illness.
Acute infection can be identified by a positive viral culture. For this method, samples are taken from the patient's sinuses, throat, blood, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid. Although this method is very accurate, this test is very laborious and is not usually used for simple virus identification.
The PCR method is carried out when a rash appears to determine the RNA of the virus and exclude other possible causes in the patient himself and in those in contact with this person. In this case, blood and materials from the nasopharynx are considered.
Serological tests are the most popular, and they are usually carried out for a woman who is already carrying a baby or just about to do so. They detect antibodies that the immune system produces in response to a foreign invasion. It is customary to perform a test for antigens of immunoglobulins G and M groups.
Acute form of the disease is confirmed when the level of IgG antibodies to rubella virus is positive and, in addition, the presence of substances of the IgM class.
Who takes this test
The following categories of people pass the named test:
- A woman who has or plans to have a child.
- A newborn baby whose mother may have contracted the virus during pregnancy (both should be tested in this case).
- Anyone with rubella symptoms.
- He alth workers.
- Students going to college.
- Some children with birth defects.
It is important for them to determine the presence or absence of immunity to the rubella virus. A positive IgG response will indicate that the infection has left its mark on the person.
Antibodies
These are proteins that the immune system produces to help fight various foreign invaders in the body and keep you from getting sick. Each of them is aimed at a specific invader and immediately reacts to it, starting to multiply intensively.
- IgM is the first class of substances that detect the virus. They can be found in the blood from 7 to 10 days after infection in adults and up to a year in newborns. You will have to take this test if your doctor thinks you are infected.
- IgG stay in your body forever. The presence of substances of this class indicates that you have been vaccinated or that you have had an illness and will no longer be able to get it.
You will need to take both tests if you are going to become a mother. In the event that rubella is suspected, after the birth of the baby, it will also have to be checked for the presence ofvirus.
Transcript of research results
Assume that as a result of the study, you were given a paper that says: "Rubella: IgG positive." What does it mean? That in the past you have already come into contact with the infection in one way or another and now you will never get sick again.
In the negative version of the same immunoglobulin, there is no doubt that a person has never encountered this virus before and is able to catch it at any moment.
If class M antibodies are found in the blood, this confirms the active form of the disease. Otherwise, when these substances were not found, the person does not have a current infection.
When samples are taken for both types of proteins and the results show that IgG is positive for rubella and IgM is negative, then there is nothing to worry about. You suffered an illness at an earlier age and are completely safe with your unborn child.
Management and processing
Rubella is a typically mild disease and no specific treatments are usually required. Rest and plenty of water to drink usually relieve the symptoms of the disease. And Acetaminophen and Aspirin can be used to reduce fever and inflammation.
People remain contagious for about a week after the rash appears and should be isolated from school, work and contact with previously he althy people. Treatment for CRS depends on the type of complications and is prescribed by the doctor.
We found out how dangerous the disease is for pregnant women, how important the timely diagnosis of rubella is and what it means - IgG positive, when receiving the results of the study. Listen to the advice of your doctor, do not be lazy to make sure once again, and then you will be able to avoid many he alth problems for yourself and your unborn baby.
