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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The Measles starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and sore throat. It is then followed by a rash that spreads over the body, starting first on the face along the hairline. The infectious period of measles is 4 days before rash onset through 4 days after rash onset. The measles are a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus and spreads through the air through coughing and sneezing. (WHO, 2016). The measles virus can remain airborne for up to an hour after the infected person has left the area. The measles are so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the unvaccinated people close to them will become infected. Rarely can the virus be deadly. The incubation period for
Pregnant women have to be careful while pregnant. They have to watch out for various speed bumps. There are tons of toxins that can hurt the baby in the womb. The mother is responsible for most of these, after all she is the one who is carrying the baby. Many of these factors can result in death. It is really sad that it has to end that way some of the time. The worst toxins for a baby to encounter while in the mother’s uterus are different types of drugs and alcohol. Those two things can could serious problems for the infant once it gets into their system. They enter into the baby’s bloodstream from the mother, and cause problems from there on out.
Pregnancy can also be titled as a risk factor. You're at increased risk of contracting listeriosis which is an infection caused by listeria bacteria. This bacterium may also cause meningitis. If you have listeriosis, your unborn baby is also at high risk of catching meningitis.
After a few days after developing a rash, it may change into small lumps all over the body. These symptoms may come just after a week of being infected. "The first symptoms may appear 12 to 14 days after you're infected." A rash will appear in the mouth and throat in the first few days, it will then spread to the face and arms and finally, the legs. The rashes will grow bigger as days go by, eventually transforming into large bumps filled with puss and fluid. Then these bumps are replaced with blisters, which will drop off and that indicates that the person has become infected and can possibly spread the disease.
Any event during her pregnancy, labour or birth that may lead to the mixing of maternal and fetal blood, also known as sensitising events, This event has many repercussions for the fetus including anaemia due to the destruction of RBCs, Haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), oedema, congestive heart failure, neurological damage, jaundice due to increased levels of bilirubin, kernicterus, hydrops fetalia, ictarus gravis neonatorum, fetal death interutero and stillbirth. (Collins. S et al. 2013; Stables. D & Rankin. J 2014).
One of the health incidents that has occurred recently, given the summer months season, is the concern with the Zika virus. Although the Zika virus has minimal effect on the average person, the greater concern is with pregnant women and the affects to the unborn child. Devastating enough, the inability to prevent other issues, such as due pregnancy. According to CDC, “Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly, and is linked to other problems in fetuses and infants infected with Zika before birth”.
Varicella-zoster and measles are both viral infections, the viruses attach and invade the host cells to replicate and ultimately infect individuals (Lee & Bishop 2013). The diseases can be passed on from one to the other person who are exposed to these viruses without immunity. However, the time course of these two diseases is variable. Measles triggers an acute viral infection and then is self-eliminated (Lee & Bishop 2013), whereas varicella-zoster is persistent, the virus
Sometimes it is safer to have an abortion than it is to actually go through with a pregnancy. About 800 women die from pregnancy or childbirth complications every day. In 2010, 287,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth (World Health Organization). Pregnancy is especially perilous for a woman who has serious health problems even before she becomes pregnant. Going through pregnancy and labor could be unsafe for the woman and the fetus. Epilepsy is one condition that can be particularly dangerous for a pregnant woman. Seizures during pregnancy can harm the fetus, and increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, in addition to increased risk of injury to the woman. Unfortunately, using medicine to control seizures might cause birth defects. Even more common, seemingly less severe health issu...
When a woman becomes pregnant, she is immediately known as a mother. The fetus being carried is dependent on his/her mother’s actions, behaviors and what she consumes into her body. The mother must be careful to not expose herself and her fetus to any dangers, for example, teratogens are a huge concern for her fetus to be exposed to. The two teratogens I believe to be fatal for a fetus to be exposed to are nicotine and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Smoking and drinking while pregnant can cause many harmful affects and put the fetus’s health and safety in danger.
Preterm chorioamnionitis causes inflammation and injury to the brain and increases the risk of intraventricular haemorrhage and diffuse white matter injury (6). With no treatments available to protect the baby from the infection, most cases involving ruptured membranes require the baby to be delivered early to reduce the risk of further complication. However, by the time of delivery, the baby has been exposed to infection and the associated risks to the developing brain, not to mention the risk of preterm delivery itself.
Measles is a highly contagious disease. It is caused by an RNA virus that changes constantly. Measles symptoms usually include a bad cough, sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, sensitivity to light, and a very high fever. Red patches with white grain like centers appear along the gum line in the mouth two to four days after the first symptoms show. These patches are called Koplik spots because Henry Koplick first noticed them in 1896. The Spots are important to diagnose measles. A characteristic red rash in measles is red spots starting at the hairline and going down to the face, body, and limbs.
The first trimester of pregnancy is the most sensitive trimester for a developing fetus. There are a few different ways that mothers and fetuses can be exposed during this sensitive time. They can be exposed accidentally, knowledgably, or with no knowledge of the pregnancy. An example of an accidental exposure is a radiation accident, like Chernobyl. There was no way to record the actual dosage of radiation that each child received in utero, or the amount of women who had spontaneous abortions after being exposed to the accidental radiation. It has been shown that those babies “exposed during the most sensitive period of pregnancy performed less well [on verbal IQ tests] than those who were exposed after week 16 of pregnancy” (Heiervang 213). There appear to be more significant birth defects and abnormalities in fetuses who were exposed prior to the 16 week gestational mark.
We learned that this disease is dangerous for a woman in her early pregnancy stage. If a woman catches rubella, then her child has the potential of being diagnoses with
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases ever known and is a notable cause of death and disability among young children worldwide. In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring U.S. healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases. In the first decade of reporting, an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were reported each year (CDC, 2017a). One of the major roles of the advanced practice nurse is educating their patients and family on signs and symptoms, risk factors, and preventative measures to inhibit the spread of the measles virus. Epidemiological studies are important for healthcare professionals to review for the most up-to-date information on the virus
Every woman when pregnant has a 3-5% chance of having a baby born with a birth defect, and these chances increase when the developing fetus/ embryos are exposed to teratogens, whether it’s intentional or unintentional (Bethesda (MD), 2006). Teratogens can cause severe birth defects, malformations, or terminate the pregnancy altogether (Jancárková, & Gregor, 2000). The placenta is known as an effective barrier from any detrimental pathogen that can potentially hurt the fetus. The timing of exposure of any teratogen is critical to the impact of prenatal development (Bethesda (MD), 2006). The most vulnerable time of the fetus for severe damage is during early pregnancy when all the major organ and central nervous system (CNS) are developing. Miscarriages have an important role in keeping a pregnancy from evolving when there is something serious going on with the developing fetus/embryo. Miscarriages are more common than we think and are the most familiar type of pregnancy loss (Bethesda (MD), 2006).