Rubella is commonly known as German measles disease is caused by a virus. It can pose serious threat to pregnant women and their unborn children. Rubella virus can cause severe birth defects in the unborn child or cause miscarriages and still births. Pregnant women are more susceptible to this infection in their first trimester; if not vaccinated. A sure shot way to prevent the infection is vaccination. Vaccination is best to be taken three months before planning to conceive. Read on to know more about this disease.Rubella, also known as German measles is a disease caused by a virus and it is important that when a woman is considering pregnancy, she goes for a test in order to find out whether she has its immunity. The test is done by collecting a blood sample and checked whether the required number of antibodies are present in the blood so as to offer the desired protection to the woman and the embryo when she is pregnant. If the number of antibodies are low in number, she is administered a Rubella vaccine and it is vital that the woman takes it at least three months before she plans to conceive. In this articleWhat is the Disease?Why is this Immunity so Important?How is the Baby Affected if the Mother has Rubella?The Rubella TestWhat is the Disease? Rubella virus gets transmitted through direct contact with a person having the disease, mostly through the cough and sneeze. So contact with the throat or nasal secretion should be strictly avoided if the woman is not vaccinated. The Rubella vaccine contains a weakened version of the live virus that is responsible for the disease. It generates the desired number of antibodies which can effectively fight the disease and also offer protection to the unborn child. Why is this Immunity so Important? The result of the pregnancy can be dangerous if the fetus happens to catch it from the mother, which is very much possible if the woman is not vaccinated. The virus travels into the blood stream of the baby through the placenta. The fetus can be born with serious birth defects and can also die before completing the pregnancy term. So, miscarriages and still births are major risks. Amongst the birth defects, the baby can have all or any of the following: Brain damage Structural and functional problems of the heart defectBorn with cataractsHearing impairment How is the Baby Affected if the Mother has Rubella? During the first trimester, that is, from 0-13 weeks, there is an almost 90% chance that the fetus will get affected by the virus. The earlier the mother is infected with the virus, the greater is the risk to the fetus. The risk is somewhat reduced after the 10th week, but the child can develop vision and auditory difficulties at a later stage. The risk to the baby is low during the second and third trimester. The Rubella Test Usually Rubella vaccine is given to children during their preschool days. But before planning to conceive, it is important that the mother tests her immunity as the effects of the vaccine can wear off through the years. It is also vital for the mother to be aware of the nature of the Rubella symptoms. The glands around the throat swell up and it is accompanied by joint pains, severe to mild headache and fever along with appearance of reddish-pink rashes. Therefore, if the woman happens to come into contact with anyone suffering from Rubella, regardless of whether she had been vaccinated earlier or not, she should immediately get a checkup done under the supervision of a general physician. An important point to be noted here, if the woman is undergoing chemotherapy, her immune system will not be very healthy for obvious reasons. Under such circumstances, it is advisable to avoid the Rubella vaccination. The vaccination involves the administration of several associative drugs like polymyxin and/or neomycin. If the woman is allergic to them, the vaccination should be avoided. However, the final decision should always be taken by the doctor.
Rubella is commonly known as German measles disease is caused by a virus. It can pose serious threat to pregnant women and their unborn children. Rubella virus can cause severe birth defects in the unborn child or cause miscarriages and still births. Pregnant women are more susceptible to this infection in their first trimester; if not vaccinated. A sure shot way to prevent the infection is vaccination. Vaccination is best to be taken three months before planning to conceive. Read on to know more about this disease.Rubella, also known as German measles is a disease caused by a virus and it is important that when a woman is considering pregnancy, she goes for a test in order to find out whether she has its immunity. The test is done by collecting a blood sample and checked whether the required number of antibodies are present in the blood so as to offer the desired protection to the woman and the embryo when she is pregnant. If the number of antibodies are low in number, she is administered a
Rubella vaccine and it is vital that the woman takes it at least three months before she plans to conceive.
What is the Disease?
Rubella virus gets transmitted through direct contact with a person having the disease, mostly through the cough and sneeze. So contact with the throat or nasal secretion should be strictly avoided if the woman is not vaccinated. The Rubella vaccine contains a weakened version of the live virus that is responsible for the disease. It generates the desired number of antibodies which can effectively fight the disease and also offer protection to the unborn child.
Why is this Immunity so Important?
The result of the pregnancy can be dangerous if the fetus happens to catch it from the mother, which is very much possible if the woman is not vaccinated. The virus travels into the blood stream of the baby through the placenta. The fetus can be born with serious birth defects and can also die before completing the pregnancy term. So, miscarriages and still births are major risks. Amongst the birth defects, the baby can have all or any of the following:
- Brain damage
- Structural and functional problems of the heart defect
- Born with cataracts
- Hearing impairment
How is the Baby Affected if the Mother has Rubella?
During the first trimester, that is, from 0-13 weeks, there is an almost 90% chance that the fetus will get affected by the virus. The earlier the mother is infected with the virus, the greater is the risk to the fetus. The risk is somewhat reduced after the 10th week, but the child can develop vision and auditory difficulties at a later stage. The risk to the baby is low during the second and third trimester.
The Rubella Test
Usually Rubella vaccine is given to children during their preschool days. But before planning to conceive, it is important that the mother tests her immunity as the effects of the vaccine can wear off through the years. It is also vital for the mother to be aware of the nature of the Rubella symptoms. The glands around the throat swell up and it is accompanied by joint pains, severe to mild headache and fever along with appearance of reddish-pink rashes.
Therefore, if the woman happens to come into contact with anyone suffering from Rubella, regardless of whether she had been vaccinated earlier or not, she should immediately get a checkup done under the supervision of a general physician.
An important point to be noted here, if the woman is undergoing chemotherapy, her immune system will not be very healthy for obvious reasons. Under such circumstances, it is advisable to avoid the Rubella vaccination. The vaccination involves the administration of several associative drugs like polymyxin and/or neomycin. If the woman is allergic to them, the vaccination should be avoided. However, the final decision should always be taken by the doctor.
