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German measles, or more commonly known as rubella, is a childhood illness. German measles is a mild infectious disease in most children and adults, but can cause serious problems for the fetus of pregnant women.
When a person gets rubella he will have a mild to high fever, painful red eyes, sore throat and a stuffy nose, swollen lymph glands behind the ears, joint aches and sometimes a rash. Only one half of people with measles get the rash even though most people associate measles with a rash. The rash will be a very light sprinkling of pinkish brown spots. The first place the rash will appear is on the face, then move on down the body to the arms and legs. The rash only lasts about three to seven days and is only slightly itchy. The top layer of the skin will eventually peel, along with the rash, indicating that the
disease is over. If you have joint pain, which is most common in women, it can last for two weeks.
German measles are spread through contact with respiratory fluid in sneezes, coughs or left on an object such as a door knob or toy. You will be at risk for getting the measles if you have not been vaccinated against it. The vaccination to prevent the disease is usually given at 15 months of age in the MMR shot for mumps and rubella. If you have already had measles you can not get it again.
Once a person has the measles they will be contagious for at least seven days after the first symptoms that appear, which is usually a fever. The next symptom that will appear is red spots in the mouth and then a rash could begin on the rest of the body. A person can be contagious with rubella for five days prior to developing a fever or rash. This is why it is a highly contagious disease; you are contagious before you know you have it.
If a pregnant woman gets measles during the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy the fetus can be severely damaged. The congenital defects that can occur are: blindness, heart and brain abnormalities, and deafness. It is very important for women who are trying to become pregnant to either get immunized or have a blood test to determine your level of immunity. Do not get the immunization if you are pregnant because it contains the live measles virus. If you are already pregnant and you are not immune to rubella you should avoid all situations where you could be exposed to the disease.
The treatment for rubella is keeping the patient comfortable and getting plenty of rest. There is no medication to make the disease go away. Drink a lot of liquids. Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to reduce a fever and relieve aches and pains. Never give a child with the measles aspirin as it can develop into Reye’s syndrome a very serious disease of the liver and brain. Sometimes bright lights will irritate sore eyes, so resting in a dimly lit room is advised. In some cases measles will develop into a secondary infection such as otitis media, encephalitis or pneumonia, go to the doctor if the fever
persists and the patient is excessively weak.
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