German measles

German Measles Picture: The German measles is an epidemic disease caused by a virus. Its illness is less contagious than measles and chickenpox. The German measles is not very common in early childhood. Sometimes it will be in mild forms and is never diagnosed. Due to vaccinations being monitored by parents, today very few children will get German measles. The German measles has a droplet spread where the microscopic drops from the breath of an infected person are carried through the air to a healthy person. The droplets carrying the virus infect the mouth, throat and nose, and later spread to the rest of the body. There will be red rashes or tiny pink spots all over the body. The rashes usually start around the ears and later cover the whole body. The period between the time of infection and its actual outbreak is about two to three weeks. It does not require any special treatment.

German Measles Symptoms:The German measles infection starts with 1 or 2 days of mild fever and swollen, tender lymph nodes, usually in the back of the neck or behind the ears. Later, rashes begin and spread all over the body. They appear as either pink or light red spots, which later form into evenly colored patches. The rashes can be itching and last up to three days. In teenagers and adults, there may be additional symptoms of headache, loss of appetite, mild conjunctivitis, stuffy or running nose, swollen lymph nodes, and pain and swelling in the joints.

German Measles Rubella: The German measles or 3-day measles is caused by the virus called rubella which is transmitted by the droplets from the nose or throat of infected person. In case of pregnant woman, it can pass to the unborn baby through the bloodstream. The German measles is also called as rubella due to the virus. It is a mild disease in children. But it is dangerous in case of pregnant women, as it causes congenital rubella syndrome in developing babies. Before the availability of vaccine in 1969, rubella epidemics broke every 6 to 9 years, affecting kids of ages 5 to 9.  But today, it appears in 10% of young adults and non-immunized adults rather than children.

German Measles in Pregnant Women:Whenever rubella occurs in a pregnant woman, it will cause congenital rubella syndrome, with potentially devastating consequences for the developing fetus. The doctor may do blood tests to ascertain the disease. There is an injection called immunoglobulin which can reduce the likelihood of German measles. The children who are infected with rubella before birth are having growth retardation, mental retardation, malformations of the heart and eyes, deafness, and liver, spleen, and bone marrow problems. In some cases, when a non-immune woman in the early stages of pregnancy catches rubella, she would be advised to terminate the pregnancy. The risk of infection can be seen in 9 out of 10 pregnancies in the first 8 to 10 weeks of pregnancy which will result in damaging of unborn fetus. It is seen rarely in later stages of pregnancy. The bleeding disorders are reported for one in 3000 and encephalitis for 1 in 60000.