What happens if you have rubella

Congenital rubella syndrome CRS is a condition that occurs in a developing baby in the womb whose mother is infected with the rubella virus. Pregnant women who contract rubella are at risk for miscarriage or stillbirth, and their developing babies are at risk for severe birth defects with devastating, lifelong consequences. Although specific symptoms can be treated, there is no cure for CRS.

Since there is no cure, it is important for women to get vaccinated before they get pregnant. Women who are planning to become pregnant should check with their doctor to make sure they are vaccinated before they get pregnant. Because MMR vaccine is an attenuated weakened live virus vaccine, pregnant women who are not vaccinated should wait to get MMR vaccine until after they have given birth.

The vaccine includes protection against measles, mumps, and rubella MMR. The vaccine is usually first given when a child is age 12 months to 15 months, and then again between age 4 and 6 years. Make sure that your child's friends and caregivers have had the MMR vaccine. In addition, girls should have completed the MMR vaccine before they reach childbearing age. If your child has rubella, you can help prevent the spread of the virus.

Make sure to keep your child home from school and play dates for 7 days before to 7 days after the start of the rash. Note that a child born with rubella is considered to be contagious until age 1. It starts with a low fever, runny nose, and diarrhea. Then a rash appears on the face, and spreads down the body. It can cause a pregnant people to have a miscarriage. A baby in the womb can also get rubella from the mother during pregnancy. It's part of the measles, mumps, and rubella MMR vaccine.

At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you for your child. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed and how it will help your child. Also know what the side effects are. If your child has a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit. This is important if your child becomes ill and you have questions or need advice. All rights reserved.

Skip to topic navigation. It is therefore very rare to have more than one bout of rubella. Immunisation is now offered to all children in the UK as part of the measles, mumps and rubella MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are needed to provide satisfactory protection against rubella German measles.

These are normally given before the age of 5 years. In the UK, the first dose is usually given between 12 and 13 months. A second dose is usually given at age 3 years and 4 months. Both doses are given at the same time as other vaccinations as part of the childhood immunisation schedule.

Older children and teenagers are sometimes offered the vaccine when there is an outbreak if they missed the injection when they were younger. However, those who have had the full course of two doses when young do not need a rubella booster.

Immunisation gives very good protection and so rubella is now uncommon in the UK. The number of babies born with congenital rubella syndrome has greatly reduced since routine immunisation was introduced. It is extremely important that all children be immunised against the rubella virus to prevent any complications of rubella occurring. See separate leaflet called MMR Immunisation for more details.

If you are a woman and are planning to get pregnant , if you are unsure if you are immune then see your practice nurse or GP. A blood test will confirm if you are immune.

If you are not immune then you can be immunised before you become pregnant. German measles rubella is caused by a different virus to the virus which causes measles, so they are completely different conditions. They do have some similar symptoms, such as a rash, temperature and cold-like features. Both are now uncommon in the UK as the combined vaccine, measles, mumps and rubella MMR vaccine, protects against both.

If you catch measles in pregnancy, it may cause some problems but these are different problems to those caused by German measles. Measles in pregnancy may make you more likely to have a miscarriage or early premature delivery, whereas German measles causes your baby to have birth defects. See separate leaflet called Measles for more information. I agree that there is very little information about this condition. I was born with it and apparantly spent 2 months in an incubator.

I would like more information on possible life long problems as a It is usually a mild illness. However, if a pregnant woman has the rubella virus, it is likely to cause serious damage to the unborn child or cause a miscarriage. Rubella can lead to damage to the heart, brain, hearing and sight. The baby is likely to be born with a very serious condition called the congenital rubella syndrome. Since rubella immunisation was introduced in there has been a dramatic fall in the number of babies born with the congenital rubella syndrome.

Rubella is now a very uncommon infection in the UK as a result of the vaccination programme. However, rubella is still common in many developing countries.

The majority of people have no symptoms when they are infected with the rubella virus German measles. This is called a subclinical infection. If symptoms do develop, they include the following:. Bleeding disorders and brain inflammation encephalitis are rare complications. Note : rubella rarely causes complications in healthy people. The main concern of rubella is that is can cause complications in pregnancy.

Rubella German measles is infectious. That means you catch it from another person who has the rubella virus. Rubella is passed on by direct contact and by coughing and sneezing the virus into the air. It takes weeks to develop symptoms after being infected. You are infectious from one week before symptoms begin until four days after the rash appears. Therefore, affected children should stay away from school and not mix with others for four days after the rash starts.

Infected adults should stay away from work for four days to try to reduce the chance of spreading the infection. Book a private appointment with a local pharmacist today to discover treatment options.

If you are pregnant and have rubella German measles in the first few months of pregnancy, there is a high chance that the rubella virus will cause severe damage to your developing baby. The virus affects the developing organs and the baby may be born with serious disability - the congenital rubella syndrome.

Complications of congenital rubella syndrome rubella birth defects include cataracts, deafness, and heart, lung and brain abnormalities. Having rubella infection in the first three months of pregnancy also increases your risk of having a miscarriage:.