Rubella Bug Hits Hospital At University

A recent outbreak of German measles has affected two doctors and other staff members at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, the second Harvard-affiliated institution touched by the statewide epidemic.

Meanwhile, the number of undergraduates infected in a similar rubella outbreak which began last week at the College has jumped to 25, Dr. Warren E.C. Wacker, director of University Health Services (UHS), said yesterday.

Have No Fear

Since only two of the six suspected cases at the Brigham hospital have been confirmed, "there is nothing at all to be alarmed about," Dr. Ira Tager, the hospital's inspection control officer, said yesterday.

The hospital will take all the appropriate measures, however, to make sure rubella is not transmitted to pregnant women, Tager said.

Bad for Moms

Rubella is a mild virus, but can be very dangerous if contracted by women during the first three months of pregnancy. Children of infected mothers have close to a 50-per-cent chance of developing birth defects such as deafness, heart malformations, or mental retardation.

Hospitality

Dr. Bernard Fields, chief of infectious diseases at Brigham, said yesterday the hospital has responded to the problem by urging pregnant women not to come into the hospital, discharging--to the extent possible--pregnant patients and running an immunization program for members of the staff.

"We are bending over backwards to make sure rubella is not transmitted to pregnant women, but right now the problem is minimal," Fields said.

"There is absolutely no solid documentation that there is a serious problem, and we want to avoid the harm of scaring people unnecessarily," he added.

A Slight Ache

Wacker said yesterday the virus picked up by Harvard students is a very mild strain which has caused very few high fevers and has lasted only a couple of days.

Seven of the 25 cases diagnosed this week, Wacker said. Although five infected students were from Adams House, the rest were all from different houses and dormitories, he added.

Wacker said he did not know the source of the outbreak but suggested it might be related to the large number of rubella cases now in the Boston-Cambridge community.

Zenith

Michael A. Baltier, an epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Department of Communicable Diseases, said yesterday this is "a peak year" for German measles cases.

"There are more cases occuring in the 18-year-old and older groups than ever before, because many in this age group were not immunized when they were babies or school-age children," he said.