Rubella VirusThe name Rubella is derived from Latin, meaning, "little red". Rubella, which was found in Germany, was considered a mimic of measles or scarlet disease and was called "third disease". The Rubella virus, also known as the German Measles, was discovered in the 18th Century but was first isolated in 1962 by Parkman and Weller. Rubella is classified as a togavirus, genus Ribvirus.Rubella is caused by a virus that is spread from person to person when a infected person coughs or sneezes. Rubella is also spread by direct contact with the nasal or thr ...view middle of the document...
The severity of the effect of Rubella virus depend largely on the time of gestation. While this may happen, defects are rare when infection occurs after the 20th week of gestation. Some of the affect of CRS are deafness, cataracts, heart defects, microcephaly, mental retardation, bone alterations and liver and spleen damage.Rubella infection may begin with one or two days of a mild fever(99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and swollen, tender lymph nodes usually on the back of the neck or behind the ears. On the second or third day, a rash appears that begins on the face and spreads downward. As it spreads down the body, it clears on the face. The rash could look like many other viral viruses. The rash can itch and last up to three days. As the rash fades away the skin flakes in large patches. Other symptom of Rubella, which are common in adults and teenagers are headache, loss of appetite, mild conjunctivitis, a stuffy or runny nose, swollen lymph nodes and pain and swelling in the joints. Some people do not have symptoms at all.In 1969 there were three vaccines, "HPV77:DE-5(duck embryo),HPV77:DE-12(dog kidney) and Cendehill (rabbit kidney)strains. In January of 1979 the RA 27/3 (human diploid fibroblast) strain (Meruvax-II) was licenced and all other strains were discontinued".
