Waukesha Co. Wisconsin: Rubella case

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Source: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=1188

Rubella: Dangerous For Pregnant Women
Charles Benson
WAUKESHA COUNTY - An adult in Waukesha County has rubella, commonly known as the German measles.

That's not as serious as measles for the average person, but it's extremely dangerous for pregnant women.

Ramona McCabe is enjoying a spring evening with her grandchildren, but she's troubled by the measles outbreak and now a case of rubella.

"We've had the measles and now rubella. It's something to worry about," McCabe said.

It's also worrisome for Waukesha health officials.

"This is an adult that lives in Waukesha County," Nurse Rosie Kapp of the Waukesha County Public Health Division said.

Health officials are saying very little about the adult who contracted rubella, but they do want to know who this person has been with and where.

Here's why: that person could have unknowingly exposed lots of other people, if they haven't been immunized.

"With rubella, you are infectious seven days prior to onset of symptoms," Kapp said. "So there have been exposures in the community."

Infectious disease physician John Bellizzi says pregnant woman should be particularly concerned.

"What's so important about rubella, is that if a pregnant woman contracts that infection in the first trimester of pregnancy, it can lead to birth deformities," Bellizzi said.

These birth deformities include mental retardation, deafness and heart and eye problems.

Health officials stress both measles and rubella can be prevented, simply by getting one vaccination shot twice.

 

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Re: Waukesha Co. WI: Rubella case

Re: Waukesha Co. WI: Rubella case

Source: http://www.wisn.com/health/15997801/detail.html
New Case Of Rubella Confirmed

POSTED: 4:04 pm CDT April 25, 2008
UPDATED: 7:16 pm CDT April 25, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- A second case of rubella, or German measles, has been diagnosed in Waukesha County.

The patient is a woman, who works in Milwaukee.

Besides the rubella, there are also six confirmed cases of measles in Southeastern Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee health department is holding three free clinics Saturday. The clinics will be held at the Southside Health center at 23rd and Lapham, and the Northwest Health Center at 76th and Mill Road.

A mobile immunization van will also be at Lena's Food Market, 23rd and Fond du Lac The free clinics are all from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

You can learn how measles is spread by calling the Milwaukee Health Department's hotline. The number is (414) 286-3616.

 

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Re: Waukesha Co. WI: Rubella case

Re: Waukesha Co. WI: Rubella case

Source: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=745266

700 exposed to rubella patient
Woman rode to downtown office on Freeway Flyer
By SUSANNE RUST and MEG KISSINGER
srust@journalsentinel.com
Posted: April 29, 2008

A Waukesha woman infected with rubella was in contact with more than 700 people before realizing she had the disease.

For several days, while the woman showed no symptoms of the virus but was highly infectious, she rode the Freeway Flyer shuttle bus between her home in Waukesha County and her Milwaukee office at Foley & Lardner, a law firm in the U.S. Bank building.

Health officials have told the Milwaukee County Transit System that the woman was a passenger on Route 79 Menomonee Falls Flyer, said bus system spokeswoman Jacqueline Janz. That route runs between downtown and Menomonee Falls during rush hours.

Although rubella, or German measles, is considered a mild disease in children and adults, it is extremely dangerous for pregnant women and fetuses.

Children infected before birth are at risk for growth retardation, mental retardation, malformations of the heart and eyes, deafness, and liver, spleen and bone marrow problems.

Officials from the City of Milwaukee said pregnant women had come into contact with the contagious commuter.

Paul Biedrzycki, the director of disease control and environmental health for the Milwaukee Health Department, said both the transit system and Foley & Lardner are working with the health department to make sure that those who may have come into contact with the woman are informed of their potential exposure to rubella.

The city health department has contacted more than 700 people.

The U.S. Bank Center is the largest office building in the state and houses about 33 employers and around 3,500 employees, said Steve Dale, a spokesman for U.S. Bank.

According to Biedrzycki, the potential for exposure is enormous.

"The safety of our attorneys and staff is our highest priority," Jocelyn Brumbaugh, a spokeswoman for Foley & Lardner, said in a news release. "We are working closely with the Milwaukee Heath Department to ensure everyone is informed."

Rubella is caused by a virus that primarily affects the skin and lymph nodes. It is generally transmitted by droplets from the nose or throat, which others breathe in.

The infection commonly begins with mild fever and swollen, tender lymph nodes. A rash on the face soon follows and spreads downward. As the rash spreads, the face generally begins to clear.

Other symptoms, which are more common in teens and adults, can include headache, loss of appetite, mild conjunctivitis, a stuffy or runny nose, swollen lymph nodes in other parts of the body, and pain and swelling in the joints.

Many people with rubella have few or no symptoms.

While the viruses that cause rubella and measles are different, immunity to the diseases is acquired through the same vaccination - the MMR, or measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Biedrzycki said there is no connection between the two outbreaks of the diseases in recent weeks. City health officials are still searching for a connection between this woman and an adult man from Waukesha, who also had rubella.

The Waukesha County woman is under isolation.

Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.