$Unique_ID{PAR00119}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Measles}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Measles Runny nose Reddened eyes Cough Fever Rash acetaminophen
Bright light brightly lit vaccine vaccination vaccinations vaccinated virus
viruses viral infections pneumonia encephalitis middle ear infection rubeola
contagious disease respiratory system encephalitis Koplik's spots splotchy red
rash neck face trunk arms legs gamma globulin injection injections}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Measles


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Runny nose
     - Reddened eyes
     - Cough
     - Fever
     - Rash

     HOME CARE
     - Give acetaminophen for fever and a cough medication for severe cough.
     - Give the child extra liquids.
     - Bright light bothers (but does not injure) the eyes; keep the child out
       of brightly lit areas.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - A vaccine is available to prevent measles.  Be sure that your child
       receives the vaccination.
     - If a child under the age of three years who has not been vaccinated
       against measles is exposed to the measles virus, call your doctor.
     - When a child has measles, the fever and cough should subside as the
       rash peaks.  If they do not, be alert for possible complications, such
       as pneumonia, encephalitis, and middle ear infection.


     Measles (also known as rubeola) is a highly contagious disease caused by
a specific virus.  It affects mainly the respiratory system, the eyes, and the
skin, and is spread from person to person in airborne droplets of moisture
from an infected person's respiratory system.  The incubation period (the time
it takes for symptoms to develop once the child has been exposed to the virus)
is ten to 12 days.  Measles can be passed to other people between the fifth
day of the incubation period and the sixth day after the appearance of the
rash that is characteristic of this disease.
     Measles used to be one of the more dangerous childhood diseases, but it
is relatively uncommon today because a vaccine is now available to protect
against it.  Most children are vaccinated against measles by an injection
given at the age of about 15 months.  If a mother is immune to measles
(because she has either had it or been vaccinated against it), her baby will
receive temporary protection against the disease.  This protection lasts three
to six months after birth.  The reason that vaccination is delayed until the
baby is 15 months old (and not given as soon as the temporary immunity
acquired from the mother wears off) is that the vaccination is not fully
effective in a baby under 15 months.  It is important to note, however, that
measles is dangerous in a child under three years old; if an unvaccinated
young child is exposed to the virus, you should consult the doctor at once.
Measles is also likely to be serious in children who have chronic (long-term)
diseases.
     Measles is considered dangerous mainly because of the complications it
can cause, among them pneumonia (infection of the lungs), middle ear
infection, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).  Encephalitis occurs
in only one or two of every 1,000 cases of measles, and death from measles or
its complications is now very rare.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The first symptoms of measles are a runny nose, reddish eyes, a cough,
and fever.  However, measles cannot be diagnosed during the earliest stages of
the disease.  Spots that look like grains of salt surrounded by a red rim
(Koplik's spots) appear inside the cheeks near the molars.  After three or
four days, the fever rises to 104 degrees_F or 105 degrees_F, the cough
worsens, and a heavy, splotchy, red rash develops on the neck and face.  The
rash quickly spreads over the trunk, arms, and legs.  When the rash has
erupted fully, the fever breaks, and the child gets better.

HOME CARE

     With measles, prevention is better than cure; be sure that your child is
properly vaccinated against this disease.  A child with measles should be
given acetaminophen to reduce the fever and a cough suppressant to ease a
severe cough.  Keep the child away from bright light; light bothers the eyes
but does not injure them.  Encourage your child to drink extra liquids.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  If the fever and cough do not subside as the rash peaks, be alert for
     possible complications, such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and middle ear
     infection.
  -  A newborn baby is immune to measles for three to six months only if the
     mother is immune.
  -  If a child under the age of three who has not been vaccinated against
     measles is exposed to the virus, call the doctor.
  -  Be sure that your child is vaccinated against measles.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     If your child has not been vaccinated and has been exposed to the measles
virus, your doctor can give him injections of gamma globulin within six or
seven days of exposure to prevent or lessen the severity of the disease.

RELATED TOPICS:  Earaches; Encephalitis; Immunizations; Pneumonia