Measles

What is Measles?

Measles is a highly infectious respiratory disease. It is caused by the rubeola virus infecting the nose and throat. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 are most at risk of catching the disease as most adults are immune. Once infected, you usually have lifelong immunity to the virus.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of measles start 9 to 11 days after being infected. Initially they are similar to a common cold. The typical measles rash usually doesn’t appear until 3 to 4 days after the first symptoms.

These include:

• Cold symptoms – runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes

• Sudden dry cough

• Fever

• Red eyes (conjunctivitis)

• Aches and pains

• Lack of appetite

• Koplik spots in the mouth and throat

• Brown-red rash 3 to 4 days after the first symptoms

Koplik spots – tiny red spots with greyish centres – are a marker for measles and occur in the mouth before the rash occurs.

The measles rash usually begins at the back of the ears before spreading to the neck, face and rest of the body. A rash by itself does not mean it’s measles.

Disease complications due to measles include convulsions due to fever, ear and eye infections, croup, diarrhoea and vomiting. More rare, but serious illnesses caused by the virus include pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis.

How is it spread?

Measles is one of the most infectious childhood diseases, along with chickenpox. Around 90% of people sharing a house with an infected person will catch the virus, unless they are already immune.

Coughs and sneezes from an infected person propel droplets containing virus into the air, which is then breathed in by someone nearby.

The virus can survive in the outside environment for up to two hours. If a child sneezes into their hand, the virus is easily spread onto other surfaces such as door handles and toys, ready to infect the next person.

Someone with measles can transmit the disease 1 to 2 days before any symptoms appear and around four days after the rash appears.

Prevention and Treatment

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine first given at around 13 months of age protects against the disease. A second pre-school booster dose is given between the ages of 3 and 5. Side-effects of the vaccine include a mild fever and rash in around 10% of children vaccinated.

Children with measles should be isolated from others and kept off school as babies not yet vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems are at risk of being infected.

There is no drug which kills the measles virus, but you can help make your child more comfortable by:

• Keeping the child cool, but not cold

• Using liquid paracetamol for the fever and muscle pain

• Keeping the room dim to make it easier for the child’s eyes

• Cleaning your child’s eyes with damp cotton wool to remove any crustiness. Use fresh cotton wool for each eye

• Making sure your child drinks plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration

You should always contact your GP if your child has measles, and if the symptoms show signs of worsening.

This article was published on Wed 4 November 2009