- 1. Who should get the vaccine?
- 2. What are the main symptoms?
- 3. Does measles itch?
- 4. What is the recommended treatment?
- 5. Which virus causes measles?
- 6. How does the transmission happen?
- 7. How to prevent measles?
- 8. What are the complications of measles?
Measles is a highly contagious disease that evolves with signs and symptoms such as fever, persistent cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, small red spots that start near the scalp and then descend, spreading throughout the body.
Measles treatment is done to relieve symptoms because this disease is caused by a virus and so the body can get rid of it on its own, without the need for antibiotics.
Measles vaccine is the best way to prevent disease and is part of the basic childhood vaccination schedule. This vaccine is highly effective but since the virus can mutate, sometimes even vaccinated people can become infected with measles years later.
1. Who should get the vaccine?
The measles vaccine is usually given free of charge at 12 months of age, with booster between 15 and 24 months. In the case of the tetraviral vaccine, the dose is usually single and should be applied between 12 months and 5 years.
There are 2 main ways to get the measles vaccine, the exclusive vaccine or the combined ones:
- Triple-viral vaccine: against measles, mumps and rubella; Tetraviral vaccine: which also protects from chickenpox.
Anyone can be vaccinated, as long as they have not yet had the vaccine, but the measles vaccine can also be administered to people who are exposed to the virus, as is the case when parents have not been vaccinated and have a child with measles. But, in this case, in order to have an effect, the person must be vaccinated up to 3 days after the symptoms of the person with whom he had contact appear.
2. What are the main symptoms?
The most common symptoms of measles include:
- Reddish patches on the skin that first appear on the face and then spread towards the feet; White round spots on the cheek; High fever, above 38.5ºC; Cough with phlegm; Conjunctivitis; Hypersensitivity to light; Runny nose; Loss There may be headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle pain. Measles does not itch, as in other diseases such as chicken pox and rubella.
Take our online test and find out if it could be measles.
Measles diagnosis can be made by observing its signs and symptoms, especially in the places most affected by the disease, or in the event of an epidemic, but it may be necessary to have a blood test that shows the presence of measles viruses and antibodies, when you are in a place that is rarely affected by the disease.
Other diseases that can cause similar symptoms and therefore can be confused with measles are rubella, roseola, scarlet fever, Kawasaki disease, infectious mononucleosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, enterovirus or adenovirus infection and drug sensitivity (allergy).
3. Does measles itch?
Unlike other diseases like chicken pox or rubella, measles stains do not itch the skin.
4. What is the recommended treatment?
Measles treatment consists of reducing symptoms through rest, adequate hydration and the use of drugs to lower fever. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends vitamin A supplementation for all children diagnosed with measles.
Usually the person with measles recovers completely, reaching a cure in about 10 days after the onset of symptoms. But the use of antibiotics can be indicated when there is evidence of associated bacterial infection, if the person also has ear infection or pneumonia, because these are common complications of measles.
See more about the options available for the treatment of Measles.
5. Which virus causes measles?
Measles is caused by a virus in the Morbillivirus family, which can grow and multiply in the mucous membranes of the nose and throat of an infected adult or child. This way, this virus is easily transmitted in small droplets released when coughing, talking or sneezing.
On surfaces, the virus can remain active for up to 2 hours, so you should thoroughly disinfect all surfaces in rooms where someone with measles has been.
6. How does the transmission happen?
The contagion of measles occurs mainly through the air, when an infected person coughs or sneezes and another person who is nearby and inhales these secretions. During the 4 days that precede the spots on the skin until its complete disappearance, the patient is infectious, because that is when the secretions are very active and the person does not take all the necessary care to not infect others.
7. How to prevent measles?
The best way to prevent measles is vaccination against the disease, however, there are some simple precautions that can also help, such as:
- Wash your hands frequently, especially after being in contact with sick people; Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean; Avoid being in closed places with a lot of people; Not having too direct contact with sick people, such as kissing, hug or share cutlery.
Isolating the patient is another effective way of preventing the spread of the disease, although only vaccination is really effective. Therefore, if a person is diagnosed with measles, everyone who has close contact with them, such as parents and siblings, should be vaccinated, if they have not yet been, and the patient should be at home, resting, without going to school or work, so as not to contaminate others.
Learn about other ways to protect yourself from measles.
8. What are the complications of measles?
In most cases, measles disappears without causing any kind of sequelae in the person, however, in people with a weakened immune system, some complications can arise, such as:
- Airway obstruction; Pneumonia; Encephalitis; Ear infection; Blindness; Severe diarrhea that leads to dehydration.
In addition, if measles arises in the pregnant woman, there is also a high risk of suffering a premature birth or having a miscarriage. Understand better how measles affects pregnancy.
If you have any doubts, watch the following video, in which our biomedical explains everything about Measles:
Some situations in which the person may have a deficient immune system, that his body cannot defend against the measles virus, include people being treated for cancer or AIDS, children who were born with the HIV virus, people who received an organ transplant or who are in a state of malnutrition.
