German measles in children: symptoms, home care, precautions


        GERMAN MEASLES IN CHILDREN: SYMPTOMS, HOME CARE, PRECAUTIONS
AND TREATMENT

Signs and symptoms
Characteristic symptoms of rubella are swollen, tender lymph nodes in front of and behind the ears, at the base of the skull, and on the sides of the neck. In a day or two, a fine or splotchy dark-pink rash appears on the face; the rash spreads over the rest of the body within 24 hours. The rash usually lasts about three days and may or may not be accompanied by a low-grade fever (37.8°C-38.3°C), slight reddening of the throat and the whites of the eyes, and slight loss of appetite.
The patient is contagious for the period from seven days before the onset of the illness until four or five days after the appearance of the rash. Infants born with rubella may be contagious for as long as a year after birth.
No other disease causes both a rash and tenderness and enlargement of the particular lymph nodes involved in rubella. The diagnosis of rubella can be confirmed by culturing throat secretions, blood, or urine to identify the virus, or by blood test results that show an increased level of the antibodies, protective substances that the body has produced to fight the infection.

Home care
Give aspirin or paracetamol to reduce fever or discomfort. Do not let your child come in contact with pregnant women.

Precautions
• Before becoming pregnant, a woman should either be immunized against rubella or should receive a blood test to find out if she is immune to the disease. If she is not immune, she should be immunized at least three months before trying to become pregnant.
• All children should be immunized against rubella.
• A pregnant woman who has been exposed to rubella should consult her doctor immediately.
• Be aware that a pregnant woman who is immune to rubella (having had the disease earlier or having been immunized) will not pass rubella to her unborn child by being exposed to the disease.

Medical treatment
Because it is so mild, doctors do not need to treat rubella in children. However, the doctor will establish the diagnosis by means of a physical examination and laboratory tests.

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GENERAL HEALTH

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