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 it is?
Rubella was first considered a form of measles or scarlet fever and was called the "third disease." In Latin, its name means "little red." In 1814, for the first time in Germany, it was discovered that this was a completely independent ailment, which immediately acquired the nickname "German measles."
This is a fairly mild disease, which is often asymptomatic, goes unnoticed and does not cause much harm. May cause mild fever and rash, which disappear after a few days. However, there are 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 vaccinations MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) or MMRV (which also includes chicken pox).
When a woman has a baby, rubella can be very dangerous and cause serious problems. When infected in the first 3 months of pregnancy, the baby may have problems with vision, hearing, heart, and complications can provoke a premature birth.
A person 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 once it is ill and the patient gains protection from the virus for life.
Pathogen
Rubella virus is the only representative of the genus Rubivirus of the Togavirus family and is not activated when it crosses with other representatives of the group. It has inside RNA containing all the basic information that is distributed in the cytoplasm.
Initially, rubella transmission routes come through contact with the carrier of infection and enter 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, the symptoms of the disease develop, which appear after an incubation period approximately 2 weeks later (from 12 to 23 days) from the initial infection. There is probably an immunological basis for the rash, as it occurs as antibody titers increase.
This virus is relatively unstable and is inactivated using lipid solutions, formalin, low PH, heat, trypsin and amantadine.
Signs and Symptoms
Since the severity of rubella increases with age, it is desirable to obtain an IgG positive effect as soon as possible.
The disease in young children often goes unnoticed and this can make diagnosis difficult.
In severe form, 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 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 out of 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 a major infection include orchitis, neuritis, and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (PSP).
In 1941, among the discoveries of congenital rubella syndrome, a connection was found between severe birth defects and the occurrence of rubella in pregnant women in the 1st trimester.
An important role in the restoration of the body is played by T-cell immunity. IgMs continue to circulate through the vessels for up to a year after rubella. IgG class antibodies 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 terms.
Why should you be afraid of rubella?
The virus poses a major danger to pregnant women and infants. If a woman has never been sick and has not received a vaccine, then she does not have 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 in this period of time that the fetus earns CRS (congenital rubella syndrome) by transmitting rubella, leading to mental disorders, poor motor and posture, lethargy, damage to nerves and bones, irritability, pneumonitis, etc. Infection can cause miscarriage and stillbirth, as well as classic a triad of congenital disease - 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 gland dysfunction, growth hormone deficiency and eye complications. All this can be the consequences of rubella. It is very important to get a positive IgG result at the planning stage of 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 suppresses outbreaks and the occurrence of congenital malformations due to CRS. Vaccination is usually given to children aged 12 to 15 months as part of a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The second dose of the drug is administered in the fourth to sixth year of life.
This method provides lifetime protection against the disease. The medicine is safe and only occasionally can cause fever, lymphadenopathy, arthralgia, and pain at the injection site.
The best prevention of the disease is to maintain a high level of immunization, intensive surveillance of rubella cases and rapid control of outbreaks.
Lack of vaccination or prior exposure to the disease can increase virulence.
In case of planning a child, tests for G and M substances should be carried out. Vaccination is most likely not needed if the IgG rubella response is positive. In any case, your doctor will decipher the results of the study, so you should not draw any conclusions yourself. If you have never been sick before, a gynecologist will advise you to take an injection to protect yourself from infection. After this, you should wait 1 month before becoming pregnant in order to fully protect your baby.
Diagnostics
Rubella is similar in manifestation 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 a person’s infection. Rubella with a positive IgG result will be indicated in case of current illness.
An acute infection can be identified by a positive viral culture. For this method, samples are examined from the sinuses, throat, blood, urine or cerebrospinal fluid of the patient. Although this method is very accurate, this test is very time-consuming and is usually not used for simple identification of the virus.
The PCR method is performed when a rash appears to determine the virus RNA and to 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 performed for a woman who is already carrying a baby or is just going to do it. 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.
The acute form of the disease is confirmed when the level of IgG antibodies to rubella virus is positive and, in addition, the presence of IgM class substances has been established.
Who passes this test
The following categories of people pass the test:
- A woman who has or plans to have a baby.
- A newborn baby whose mother may have contracted the virus during pregnancy (in this case, both should be tested).
- Anyone with rubella symptoms.
- Health workers.
- College students.
- Some babies with birth defects.
It is important for them to determine the presence or absence of immunity to the rubella virus. A positive response to IgG will indicate that the infection has left its mark in a person.
Antibodies
These are proteins that the immune system produces to help you fight off various foreign invasions of your body and prevent you from getting sick. Each of them is aimed at a specific invader and immediately responds to it, starting to multiply intensively.
- IgM is the first class of substances that notice a 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 the doctor thinks you are infected.
- IgG stays in your body forever. The presence of substances of this class indicates that you have been vaccinated or you have suffered a disease and can no longer get it.
You will need to do both tests if you are going to become a mother. In the event that rubella is suspected, after the birth of the baby he will also have to be checked for the presence of the virus.
Decoding of research results
Suppose that as a result of the study you were given a paper that says: "Rubella: IgG positive." What does it mean? The fact that in the past you have somehow come into contact with the infection in one way or another and now you will never again get sick.
In the negative version of the same immunoglobulin, there is no doubt that a person has never before encountered this virus and is able to pick it up at any time.
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 indicate that the rubella virus IgG is positive and IgM is negative, then there is nothing to worry about. You suffered an affliction at an earlier age and, together with your unborn child, are completely safe.
Management and processing
Rubella is a typically mild disease and no specific treatment methods are usually required. Rest and plenty of water drunk tend to alleviate the symptoms of the disease. 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 attendance, work, and exposure to previously unwell patients. Treatment of CRS depends on the type of complications and is prescribed by a doctor.
We found out how dangerous the disease is for pregnant women, how important is the timely diagnosis of rubella, and what does it mean - IgG is positive when obtaining the results of the study. Listen to the advice of your doctor, do not be lazy to once again insure yourself, and then you will be able to avoid many problems with your health and your future baby.