Rubella
Rubella or German Measles is an infectious disease and is caused by a highly contagious virus. If a pregnant woman gets rubella, during the first trimester, the baby may become very ill or may even die.
Symptoms of rubella include fever, headaches, muscle aches and a rash, first on the face and spreading to the rest of the body. Fortunately, there is a vaccine against rubella which is the MMR vaccine. People who need to be vaccinated include; anyone born after 1957, college age adults, health care workers and international travelers. Rubella is easily diagnosed with a blood test and complications are rare. This means that a vaccination is highly desirable, since a woman who does not know she is pregnant, may very well contract Rubella with the result that her child could be born with heart defects, blindness and mental retardation.
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