Rubella is an acute infectious disease .About 150 years ago, it was generally considered a mild measles.

Rubella in children is contagious, and there are also rashes, runny nose, and fever. But somehow not really: the body temperature is not very high, the rash is pale and slim, his eyes were red a little, runny nose – so-so, a headache is not much, but more often does not hurt at all.  Like measles, rubella is transmitted by airborne droplets, and when it enters the  human body, it affects the so-called lymphoid system (lymph nodes,  spleen). This is associated with the appearance of the most typical (except for the rash, of course) sign of rubella – an increase in lymph nodes, which is most pronounced on the back of the neck and nape. The rash in rubella is pink, the spots are much smaller  than in measles, and almost never merge.
With rubella in children, the rash appears first on the face, but then quickly spreads throughout the body (not like with measles-in 2-3 days, but in just a few hours). The rash lasts no more than three days and disappears without leaving any traces. People of all ages can get infected , but children from 2 to 0 years are more likely to get sick  A sick child is infected with rubella the day before and within 5 days after the rash appears. In the vast majority of cases, rubella occurs easily, does not cause complications and, quite naturally, does not require any treatment.

What you need to know for rubella

for pregnant women, the rubella virus is extremely dangerous, because, in addition to addiction to the lymphoid system, it can very seriously affect embryonic  tissues. The threat is not only rubella disease of the expectant mother, but even  just contact with the patient. Risk of having a child with serious malformations especially great when the fetus is infected in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, after this period , both the risk of infection and the likelihood of severe consequences are reduced. Even if a woman has previously had rubella, there is still a risk! Therefore, any contact with  a rubella patient should immediately consult a doctor.

Rubella in children is usually treated at home. Strict bed rest is prescribed for the entire period of rashes. For the entire duration of the disease, you need to provide your baby with a balanced full-fledged diet and a plentiful warm drink.  No specific treatment is prescribed, sometimes symptomatic drugs are used.
If any problems occur, emergency hospitalization is required.

Rubella’s prognosis is favorable. Repeated infection with rubella does not occur.

To prevent the spread of the rubella epidemic, sick children are protected from non-rubella patients for 5 days from the beginning of the appearance of rashes. It is very important to prevent the contact of a sick baby with pregnant women, because rubella infection of a pregnant woman often leads to the  appearance of all sorts of defects in the formation of the embryo.
Rubella vaccination is included in the established calendar of mandatory vaccinations. Rubella vaccine is administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously at the age of 12-15 months. Repeated vaccination is performed at the age of 6 years. Immunity to the rubella virus occurs within 15-20 days in almost 100% of vaccinated children and lasts for 20 years or more.