Rubella and Neonatal Effects

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Rubella and Neonatal Effects

Rubella is an essentially harmless disease that resembles measles, however, it is highly teratogenic to a developing fetus. If a pregnant woman contracts rubella, the fetus is at risk to develop Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) which can result in tissue and organ damage. Proper nursing interventions and teaching should be done to prevent the spread of rubella and to lower the rates of CRS.

A History and Epidemiology for Rubella

Until the 18th century, rubella was often confused with measles and scarlet fever. In 1952 and 1958, two German scientist were able to isolate the rubella virus and it was given the name “German Measles” until 1866 when a Scottish physician gave it the name “Rubella” (Duszack, 2010). Rubella is spread through droplet transmission and contact. It replicates in the respiratory tract of the host, spreads to the lymph nodes and from there to the rest of the body (Yazdami, McGhee, & Stiehm, 2011).

Normal Sign and Symptoms of Rubella

Rubella begins as a red rash, which begins on the face and spreads quickly over the rest of the body. The rash is usually accompanied with a low-grade fever, swollen lymph nodes, however, other symptoms such as eye pain, sore throat, headache, muscular pains and nausea are also accompanying symptoms of rubella. The rash begins to coalesce and form “pinpoint papules” looking very similar to those of scarlet fever which usually last from 5-8 days (Yazdami et al., 2011).

Rubella Infection in Pregnancy

In pregnancy, the rubella virus progresses as it does in a non-pregnant woman, however, the virus affects the fetus as well. The rubella virus can cross the placenta, attacking the developing blood vessels of the fetus, which leads to organ ...

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Ola, R. (2008). Rubella (acquired and congenital), Washington State Department of Health. Retrieved from http://www.doh.wa.gov/notify/guidelines/pdf/rubella.pdf

Duszack, R., S. (2009). Congenital rubella syndrome—major review. Optometry - Journal of the American Optometric Association, 80(1), 36-43. doi:10.1016/j.optm.2008.03.006

Strebel, P., Dabbagh, A., Gacic-Dobo M., Reef S. E., & Cochi, S. (2010). Progress toward control of rubella and prevention of congenital rubella syndrome – wordwide 2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 59(40):1307-1310. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/730825

Yazdami, S., McGhee, S. A., & Stiehm, R. (2011). Chronic complex diseases of childhood: A practical guide for clinicians. Boca Raton, Florida: BrownWalker Press.

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