Here are the causes, symptoms, and ways to prevent measles
MEASLES – This is a disease also known as rubeola and it is a highly contagious infection caused by a virus.
A time comes that there is an outbreak due to certain factors. Although there is already a vaccination for this, mothers should still understand these few things about this disease, especially when this affects their children.
Gail Shust, M.D., pediatric infectious disease specialist at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone said that this disease is more serious than most parents may realize. Other complications may be experienced such as diarrhea, pneumonia, or a specially severe condition called encephalitis, which is an infection in the central nervous system and the brain.
SYMPTOMS
Based on the article from Mayo Clinic, the common symptoms of measles are:
- Fever
- Dry cough
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Red, inflamed eyes
- A skin rash with large, flat blotches
Commonly, the fever, cough, runny nose, or red eyes appear first before the rashes can be visible. “You would feel sensitive to regular, indoor light. That’s not normal, and it’s a big red flag,” Natasha Herz M.D., a board-certified ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology said regarding this sign of measles which sometimes mistakenly perceived as pink eye.
CAUSES
According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the measles virus can spread through respiratory droplets. When a person is coughing or sneezing, the tiny infectious particles can remain active in the air for up to two hours. “Let’s say I have the measles and I was in a room of 10 people who didn’t have the vaccine. Nine out of those 10 people would get the measles,” Dr. Shust explained.
PREVENTION
Vaccination is the strongest and most effective form of protection but you can also prevent the virus from spreading by covering sneezes with a tissue or elbow.
Once vaccinated, the possibility of still acquiring measles is just 3 to 7 percent. According to CDC, there are vaccinated people who will just experience a milder form of it and they’re less likely to spread the disease. This only happens once in the lifetime of a person.
In treating this disease, the doctors would administer vitamin A to pediatric patients with the measles for two days. It is also advisable to seek the help of a doctor rather than having self-medication at home. Parents should also take note that babies under 5 years old have a higher risk of developing complications because of their weaker immune system.
Dr. Shust said that the red splotches will start to disappear about a week after they appear. Commonly, measles will last for two to three weeks from the time you have contact with the virus until the disease is no longer communicable.
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