Rubella - don’t panic, do vaccinate
Doc Smitty and what you need to know about rubella case in Tarrant County
Rubella was declared eradicated from North and South America just this past April.
So why did the Tarrant County Health Department just announce that there is a case of rubella in a Texas Christian University student?
Unfortunately, the student returned from a part of the world where rubella continues to be an ongoing concern. The World Health Organization states that rubella continues to cause infection in Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. Despite the fact that rubella is no longer transmitted in the United States, an average of 10 cases of rubella are diagnosed here each year from travelers who bring it back from affected areas.
Don’t get me wrong, rubella is a big deal. Prior to the vaccination, it used to cause millions of cases per year around the world. The most severe complication from rubella is congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) which can affect the babies of women who contract rubella during the first three months of their pregnancy. Children born with CRS are at risk for growth problems, developmental delays and other birth defects.
We should definitely be aware that there is a case of rubella in our area, but I’m advising parents not to panic about their children getting rubella.
Here are the 2 main reasons why I’m choosing not to panic:
1. Rubella is a mild illness in children. It can start with a mild fever (but often doesn’t) and then causes a rash that starts on the face and spreads downward. Other complications from rubella are very rare and are more likely to happen in teenagers and adults.
2. Rubella vaccine works very well. After the first dose of the rubella vaccine (given at 1 year), 90-95 percent of children are protected. After the 4-year booster dose, protection gets much closer to 100 percent. If your child is vaccinated, they are most likely protected. As with anything, the vaccination is not perfect so we are relying on each individual person getting vaccinated to help protect their neighbors from an outbreak. Despite the fact that cases of rubella have been imported into the United States, no outbreaks have occurred, thanks to our relatively high immunization levels.
Children (or adults) who are infected by rubella can spread the disease via droplets spread by sneezing or coughing. We recommend all children be vaccinated against rubella. The vaccination helps prevent children from getting the disease and it also helps protect anyone they may come in contact with, including pregnant women.
Pregnant women with rubella run the risk of potentially having a baby with congenital rubella syndrome.
As always, if you are pregnant (especially in the first three months), use caution around sick individuals especially those with a rash. If you already have a baby, you were likely checked for rubella immunity at the delivery and your doctor should have the results of that test. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, a doctor can check your immunity level now so that you can be vaccinated prior to getting pregnant.
Let’s not panic about rubella at TCU. If your child is starting classes there, feel free to send them on (I’ll be on campus for a meeting today if that gives you any peace of mind). Let’s be aware. We’ll follow the story and notify you if there are any updates or new reasons to be concerned.
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