Rubella Virus

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Rubella Virus

The name Rubella is derived from Latin, meaning, "little red". Rubella, which was found in Germany, was considered a mimic of measles or scarlet disease and was called "third disease". The Rubella virus, also known as the German Measles, was discovered in the 18th Century but was first isolated in 1962 by Parkman and Weller. Rubella is classified as a togavirus, genus Ribvirus.

Rubella is caused by a virus that is spread from person to person when a infected person coughs or sneezes. Rubella is also spread by direct contact with the nasal or throat secretions of an infected person. If a women who get Rubella during the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus could get CRS

Congenital Rubella Syndrom(CRS) infects newborn babies. Infections with Rubella virus can be disastrous in early gestation. The virus may infect all organs and cause a variety of congenital defects.

Infection could lead to fetal death, spontaneous abortion, or premature delivery. The severity of the effect of Rubella virus depend largely on the time of gestation. While this may happen, defects are rare when infection occurs after the 20th week of gestation. Some of the affect of CRS are deafness, cataracts, heart defects, microcephaly, mental retardation, bone alterations and liver and spleen damage.

Rubella infection may begin with one or two days of a mild fever(99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and swollen, tender lymph nodes usually on the back of the neck or behind the ears. On the second or third day, a rash appears that begins on the face and spreads downward. As it spreads down the body, it clears on the face. The rash could look like many other viral viruses. The rash can itch and last up to three days. As the rash fades away the skin...