Rubella

Background of Illness

Rubella is a very mild disease caused by a virus, may cause temperature, runny eyes, swelling of the gland at the back of the head and a mild rash. It is spread by droplets, the illness is mild, however the main and serious effect of rubella is if pregnant mothers contract it especially during the early stages of pregnancy then it may result in fetal loss or congenital rubella syndrome which is one of the following - deafness in the child, heart abnormalities, microcephaly that is small brain, generally small size, inflammatory lesion of the brain, liver, lungs and bones, cataracts and other eye defects infection can lead to 90% resulting in damage in the surviving infants and the rate of decline if the infection occurs after 11-16 weeks.

Vaccine Facts

Previously it was given to females only from 1970 there were still cases of congenital syndrome so universal immunisation was introduced along with MMR in 1988. In 1996 two dose schedule was introduced, a single dose confirmed only 95% protection. It is given as a two dose schedule at 13 months and age of 3-5 years for the second dose.

Complications

Complications of the vaccine are high temperature, rash, swelling of the gland and back of the head in 10% of children. Rarely decreasing number of platelets can lead to condition called Thrombocytopenia which appears in 1 in 23,000 children. Contraindications to vaccine are severe immuno suppressed children, those who have had a previous anaphylactic reaction for rubella vaccine, pregnant women.

The suppliers of the vaccine are Sanofi Pasteur and Merck in America.