Measles is a very contagious infection of the respiratory system. It is caused by a virus, and results in a skin rash over the entire body accompanied by fever, cough and runny nose. There is no known medical treatment for measles, as it is caused by a virus; palliative care and quarantine are recommended methods of symptomatic treatment.
The primary symptoms of a measles infection are flu-like symptoms, including a hacking cough and runny nose. Patients will also develop a serious fever and have reddened sclera (the white part of the eye). Children may also develop small, red and white spots called Koplik’s spots on the inside of their cheeks.
Measles is a horrific disease that is entirely preventably with vaccination. Image courtesy CDC/Dr. Heinz F. Eichenwald.
About three to five days after primary symptoms appear, a full-body rash will break out that often coincides with fevers that can run as high as 104°F (40°C). The rash initially appears as flat red spots on the patient’s forehead before spreading over the entire face and down the neck and abdomen to the arms and legs. Typically both the fever and rash will abate after three or more days.
Measles is a very contagious disease. About ninety percent of unvaccinated persons who come in contact with an infected person will contract the disease. Measles is spread when an uninfected person either inhales or directly contacts fluid droplets from an infected person; droplets are usually spread by sneezing or coughing. An infected person will begin to show symptoms about eight to ten days after exposure. Infected persons are contagious up to five days before the rash first appears and for about five days after. They are at their most contagious when they have a cough, fever and runny nose.
Prevention
Vaccination is the single best means of protecting against spread of the measles. The vaccine is typically administered as part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in accordance with India’s Universal Immunization Programme. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommends the first MMR vaccination at 9 months and a booster in the second year of life, starting at 15 months. Infants under six months old typically still carry immunity inherited from their mothers.
Certain at-risk groups cannot be administered a measles vaccine due to the potential for serious complications. These groups include:
- Pregnant women
- Children with untreated tuberculosis or cancers such as leukemia
- People with compromised immune systems
- Children with a health history that includes severe allergic reactions to neomycin or gelatin
Because at-risk groups such as these are unable to be given the vaccine, it is very important that healthy children receive the vaccine on schedule. By ensuring all healthy children receive the vaccine, at-risk persons can be protected by an effect known as herd immunity. Herd immunity means that when a very high percentage of a population has been vaccinated for a disease, the disease is prevented from spreading through the population. This prevents outbreaks and protects at-risk individuals.
The measles vaccine does have occasional side effects even in healthy children, the most common of which is a fever about seven to ten days after the vaccine and a rash that is similar to measles but not contagious. This fever is not typically a cause for alarm and pediatricians advise parents on the treatment required for alleviation of the symptoms.
Treatment
Because measles is caused by a virus, there is no specific treatment regimen for the disease. Symptoms may be managed with palliative care and bed rest. Patients should be administered fluids. If patients develop a fever they should be treated with a non-aspirin fever reducer such as ibuprofen or crocin. NEVER give aspirin to a child with a viral illness. Doing so has been linked to the development of a serious illness called Reye syndrome.
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