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Rubeola Causes and Risks:
Rubeola, or measles, is caused by the paramyxovirus. The infection is spread by droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected person. The incubation period is 7 to 14 days before symptoms generally appear. An immunity to the disease occurs after vaccination, after active infection, and passive immunity of an infant whose mother is immune lasts most of the first year of life. Before widespread immunization, measles was very common during childhood so that 90% of the population had been infected by age 20. Measles cases have dropped by 99% in the U.S. and Canada after widespread immunization. Only 9,600 cases were reported in the U.S. in 1991. Susceptible individuals are young infants as the maternal antibody decreases, and those who refuse immunization. Teenagers and young adults who have not received a second immunization are also susceptible.
Prevention:
The routine immunization of children at 15 months old with MMR (live mumps , measles, and rubella ) vaccine prevents infection. A second MMR immunization (vaccine) is now given between 4 and 6 years of age.
Symptoms:
- a sore throat
- a runny nose
- a barking cough
- muscle pain
- fever
- bloodshot eyes
- tiny white spots inside the mouth (called Koplik's spots) appearing 3 to 4 days after the onset of symptoms
- photophobia ( light sensitivity )
- rash
- appears around the fifth day of the disease
- may last 4 to 7 days
- usually starts on the head and spreads to other areas, progressing downward
- maculopapular rash--appears as both macules (flat discolored areas) and papules (solid, red, elevated areas) that later merge together (confluent); occasionally may bleed very slightly
- itching of the rash
Note: The period between the appearance of the earliest symptoms and the appearance of a rash or fever is usually 3 to 5 days.
Signs and Tests:
Treatment:
There is no specific treatment of measles. Symptomatic relief may be achieved from bed rest, acetaminophen - oral, and humidified air.
Prognosis:
The probable outcome is excellent in uncomplicated cases. The probable outcome is worse with complicating encephalitis .
Complications:
A bacterial infection may cause otitis media , bronchitis , or pneumonia . Encephalitis occurs in approximately 1 out of 3,000 measles cases. Hemorrhagic measles is a rare complication and causes generalized bleeding .
Call Your Healthcare Provider:
Call your health care provider if earache , productive cough , or severe lethargy develop in a person with measles; or if symptoms do not begin to improve within 1 week.
Emergency symptoms (rare) include convulsions and generalized bleeding .
Rubeola is commonly known as "red measles" or "hard measles". It is considered one of the childhood illnesses although non-immune adults can be infected. Measles is becoming increasingly rare because of childhood immunizations (MMR) but there are still groups of unimmunized individuals, and minor measles epidemics still occur. This is the typical appearance of measles on the face. (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
This is the classical skin appearance of "red" , "hard", or "7-day" measles (rubeola). In severe cases there may be bleeding into the rash, causing the appearance of tiny red dots (petechiae) or slightly larger red spots (purpura). (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
Koplik spots are tiny grain-of-sand sized white spots occurring on the inside of the cheek (buccal mucosa). They are seen only in measles (rubeola) and are, by themselves, diagnostic of measles. They appear briefly after the fever begins and just before the generalized rash. (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
This disease is known as "hard measles" or "red measles". It is seldom seen today because of community immunization programs. Immunization is accomplished through the MMR vaccine, a combination of measles, mumps and rubella. Periodic epidemics do occur however, but are quickly terminated with renewed pushes for vaccination. This is a classical appearance of measles. (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
This disease is known as "hard measles" or "red measles". It is seldom seen today because of community immunization programs. Immunization is accomplished through the MMR vaccine, a combination of measles, mumps and rubella. Periodic epidemics do occur however, but are quickly terminated with renewed pushes for vaccination. This is a classical appearance of measles. (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
An exanthem is any rash that is accompanied by inflammation, and that is associated with an infectious process such as scarlet fever, measles, roseola, rubella, erythema infectiosum, or ECHO virus infections.
Koplik spots are seen with measles. They are small, white spots (often on a reddened background) that occur on the inside of the cheeks early in the course of measles.
Measles (rubeola) produces a generalized rash covering much of the body. On occasion there may be bleeding into the skin (purpura). Only the rash is seen here, without any bleeding.
Koplik spots are seen with measles. They are small, white spots (often on an reddened background) that occur on the inside of the cheeks early in the course of measles.
Measles outbreaks still occur in the United States, usually among groups that do not believe in immunizations or in areas where immunization levels have fallen below the critical level. It is a fairly serious childhood infection that is recognized by the rash (as seen here), Koplik spots, red eyes and photophobia, and coughing.
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