Rubella historical perspective
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Background
Rubella, commonly known as German measles, is a disease caused by Rubella virus. The name is derived from the Latin, meaning little red. Rubella is also known as German measles because the disease was first described by German physicians in the mid-eighteenth century. This disease is often mild and attacks often pass unnoticed. The disease can last one to five days. Children recover more quickly than adults. Infection of the mother by Rubella virus during pregnancy can be serious; if the mother is infected within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, the child may be born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which is a range of serious incurable illnesses. Spontaneous abortion occurs in up to 20% of cases.[1]
Rubella is a common childhood infection usually with minimal systemic upset although transient arthropathy may occur in adults. Serious complications are very rare. If it were not for the effects of transplacental infection on the developing foetus, rubella is a relatively trivial infection.
Acquired, (i.e. not congenital), rubella is transmitted via airborne droplet emission from the upper respiratory tract of active cases. The virus may also be present in the urine, faeces and on the skin. There is no carrier state: the reservoir exists entirely in active human cases. The disease has an incubation period of 2 to 3 weeks.[2]
In most people the virus is rapidly eliminated however, it may persist for some months post partum in infants surviving the CRS. These children were an important source of infection to other infants and, more importantly, pregnant female contacts.
References
- ↑ Siegel M, Fuerst HT, Guinee VF (1971). "Rubella epidemicity and embryopathy. Results of a long-term prospective study". Am. J. Dis. Child. 121 (6): 469–73. PMID 5581012.
- ↑ Richardson M, Elliman D, Maguire H, Simpson J, Nicoll A (2001). "Evidence base of incubation periods, periods of infectiousness and exclusion policies for the control of communicable diseases in schools and preschools". Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 20 (4): 380–91. PMID 11332662.