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Measles – Information on Measles
Author: peterhutch   | Posted: 25-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 45 | Rating: (78)  (?) 
Measles, also called rubeola, is a highly contagious — but rare — respiratory infection that's caused by a virus. It causes a total-body skin rash and flu-like symptoms, including a fever, cough, and runny nose. The measles virus is contagious, which means the infection can be spread from person to person. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, the very small droplets of water that person expels carry the virus within them. These droplets have the potential to infect anyone who may come into contact with them.
The thought of measles may bring to mind the red, blotchy rash that often accompanies this disorder. But the rash is just an outward sign of the more worrisome changes happening inside your body. Measles is primarily a respiratory infection caused by a highly contagious virus found all over the world.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. Almost all non-immune children contract this respiratory disease if exposed to the virus. Measles is an acute illness caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. Measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs. It is a human disease not known to occur in animals.
Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases. It is caused by paramyxo virus and is the most unpleasant and the most dangerous of the children's diseases that result in a rash. This is due to the complications of the disease. Measles is more common in lesser developed countries, particularly where people suffer from vitamin A deficiency as part of malnutrition. This may be something to consider before traveling abroad.
Cases of measles were described as early as the seventh century. However, it was not until 1963 that researchers first developed a vaccine to prevent measles. Before the vaccine was made available, almost every child became infected with the virus because it is so easily spread. Before routine vaccination, there were approximately 3-4 million cases of measles and 500 deaths due to measles each year in the United States of America.
Measles typically begins with a mild to moderate fever, accompanied by other signs and symptoms, such as a persistent cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis) and sore throat. Two or three days later, Koplik's spots — a characteristic sign of measles — appear. Then a fever spikes, often as high as 104 or 105 F. At the same time, a red blotchy rash appears, usually on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears. This slightly itchy rash rapidly spreads downward to the chest and back and, finally, to your thighs and feet. After about a week, the rash fades in the same sequence that it appeared.
Measles is a significant infectious disease because, while the rate of complications is not high, the disease itself is so infectious that the sheer number of people who would suffer complications in an outbreak amongst non-immune people would quickly overwhelm available hospital resources. If vaccination rates fall, the number of non-immune persons in the community rises, and the risk of an outbreak of measles consequently rises.
The measles rash first appears on the face, being seen early as small maculopapular lesions that increase rapidly in size and coalesce in places, often causing a swollen, mottled appearance. The rash extends to the body and extremities, and in some areas may resemble the rash of scarlet fever.
A cough, present at this time, is due to bronchitis produced by the inflammatory condition of the mucous membranes, which undoubtedly corresponds to the rash seen on the skin.
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