1. Watch for Lingering Symptoms
Since both rubella (German measles) and rubeola (common measles) are viral diseases, treatment is based on supportive care. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to attack the microbial intruders directly. Basically, all you can do is work to relieve the symptoms and let the virus run its course.
In the overwhelming majority of cases, symptoms disappear and no long-term effects develop. Complications are extremely rare, but when they do develop, they can be serious even if you are otherwise in good health. You should speak to a doctor immediately if your symptoms persist for longer than 2 weeks.
2. Understand the Long-Term Risks
There's no way to predict or avoid long-term effects of rubella or rubeola infection, but it helps if you know what to look for so you can report any complications to your doctor immediately.
Approximately 1 in every 1,000 cases of measles results in additional nervous system complications. Encephalitis, or brain swelling, is the most common of these, and it leaves approximately one-quarter of affected patients with long-term brain damage. If you or your child develops extreme sensitivity to light, persistent and severe headaches, limb stiffness, mobility difficulties, muscle weakness or seizures while fighting a measles infection, seek immediate medical attention.
Other patients may develop pneumonia, conjunctivitis, hepatitis or otitis media. Again, there's little that can be done to reduce risk or avoid these complications. Fortunately, they're very rare. A very serious progressive disease known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) occurs in about 1 in every 100,000 cases of rubella or rubeola. This condition can take years to develop, but once it does, it eventually leads to death. Treatment delays its progression but cannot outright stop it.
3. Hospital Treatments for Complicated Cases
To try to head off the development of serious long-term effects, you or your child may be hospitalized at the first sign of complications. In such a case, your doctor will take a much more aggressive approach to treatment, administering oral or intravenous antiviral drugs that inhibit the rubella and rubeola viruses.
Antiviral treatments will be combined with close observation of the complications. Any complications that arise will need to be treated separately from the infection itself, and the strategies your doctor will use depend on the severity of the complications and the urgency of the situation. You should seek immediate medical advice if any out-of-the-ordinary symptoms manifest as a result of measles infection.
4. Special Advice for Pregnant Women
Measles infection poses considerable risk for your unborn child, and you can pass the disease to the fetus if you contract it within the first 20 weeks of your pregnancy. If the rubella or rubeola virus attacks your unborn child, there is a good chance that your baby will suffer from incurable, permanent effects.
While you're expecting, it's a good idea to avoid travel to countries where measles is still a common infectious disease. If you do have to visit such a place for one reason or another, plan a visit to your doctor well in advance of leaving. You may need vaccinations or boosters to help you avoid infection.
