Measles

Measles General Information

Measles Symptoms

The medical condition begins to manifest after the incubation period has passed. The person infected has at least 3 days of fever, starts to cough, has a runny nose and conjunctivitis. The fever can go up to 40 degrees Celsius so try your best to keep it as low as possible. The well known rash caused by the disease appears a few days after the fever sets in. The rash usually starts from the head of the person and goes downwards, eventually covering the whole body. At first, little irregular-shaped bumps appear on the sides of the neck and also under the ears. They start to grow and within 1 or 2 days, they show themselves on the trunk, on your arms and legs. Meanwhile, the ones on the face start fading. In the case of a very severe rash, petechiae (bleeding spots) and ecchymoses (bruises) also appear.

As all of you who had Measles know, it causes a very uncomfortable itching. Of course, you are tempted to scratch yourself on and on just to feel a little better, but this is not recommended. Because of the conjunctivitis, the eyes become red and teary. The person is also a lot more sensitive to light. After about 4 or 5 days, the rash begins to fade out and you start to feel better and better until you eventually heel completely. But keep in mind that complications such as pneumonia or other infections caused by bacteria might occur. If encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) occurs, the patient could even die.

Measles Treatment

First of all, keep in mind that each and everyone of us can get a vaccine against Measles. All over the world, more and more campaigns are being organized in order to immunize people against this disease. The MMR vaccine (MMR stands for Measles – mumps – rubella) is usually administrated twice. The first time is should be administrated at about 18 months. The second time – around the age of 5.

The active treatment for the disease is divided in the treatments specific for each of the symptoms. The patient should have, at least as part of the treatment, a very balanced diet. Physical effort is reduced a lot. It is best for people who have Measles to stay in bed and rest, at least during the high-fever days. During this time, you should also drink a lot more fluids than usual. Fever causes a lot of sweating so you must to your best to avoid dehydration. A lot of people prefer tea or mineral water, but you can drink anything you like, but do not drink alcohol. Doing so is highly un-recommended - especially if you are on an antibiotic regime at the time. The cough could be softened by maintaining a humid air in the room in which the patient is resting (try using an air moisturizer). You have to give a great deal of attention to your eyes as well. Remember that the conjunctivitis makes you photophobic (very sensitive to light) so try not to stare at powerful light sources (the sun, a light bulb, a TV screen, a computer monitor, etc.). Some patients even wear sunglasses in order to make their eyes feel more comfortable. You must clean your eyes carefully. Try using a moisturized piece of some soft material. But be careful not to rub your eyes. There is no precise treatment for this disorder but if you take care of each of the problems it brings, you should get healthy as soon as possible.

The real issues brought up by Measles are complications. A lot of things could go bad if you encounter further problems after being infected with the paramyxovirus virus.Bacterial infections such as pneumonia and otitis are some of the most common complications which occur. There are complications that pose a great danger, even fatal in some cases. These are acute thrombocytopenic purpura (it causes bleedings), encephalitis (brain inflammation) - the patient can either start to recover after only one week of illness or it can leave him in a deep coma and if things get out of hand it could even kill him. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) can also occur, mostly at children, months or even years after they had Measles. This chronic disease attacks the brain, damaging it and leaving the victim mentally retarded or with movement troubles. This complication often leads to the death of the patient. Once again, we encourage you to get the MMR vaccine and treat this viral infection with the respect it deserves.