Measles

Introduction

A viral infection that's serious for small children, develops fever, dry cough. Measles easily preventable by a vaccine.

The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Measles symptoms don't appear until 10 to 14 days after exposure. They include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash, watering from eyes and nose. .

There's no treatment to get rid of an established measles infection, but over-the-counter fever reducers or vitamin A may help with symptoms.

Symptoms

The diagnosis of measles is suspected in a child who has not received the measles vaccine and who after coming in contact  with a case of measles develops fever, dry cough, running of the nose, and watering from eyes.

The symptoms worsens as the days pass. After 3-4 days (a day before the rash appears)  the child gets white spots), like grains of salt on a red surface (Koplick spot) inside the cheek opposite the first and second upper molar teeth. The rash appears the next day , first on the hairline and then spreading downwards, starting as fine, slightly raised spots, which may join together to give a patchy appearance. The fever shoots up to around 104 degree F.

The child looks quite ill and loses its appetite. He may not even want to have water. If he is breastfed, he may demand feeds most often The fever continues for about 3 days after the appearance of rash, which last for 5 to 8 days. After the rash fades, the skin may tend to peel off.

How to differentiate Measles from other similar Illnesses

When the mother tells me that her child got a second attack of measles or  he had measles after having received the measles vaccine, it is often a case of mistaken diagnosis. The child probably had  or is now having a measles like illness and not measles. One such illness is exanthem subitum or roseola infantum. This is also a viral infection in which the child gets  high fever  as in measles., but does not look too sick. There is hardly any cold or cough. after 3 days, the fever suddenly returns to normal to be followed the next day by a light red rash  that is not raised from the skin. It spreads from the trunk or the face and then to the limbs and fades within a day. It may be noticed that in measles, the temperature rises as the rash appears and the fever continues for a few days  more along with the rash. But in exanthem subitum, the fever returns to normal.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment. For cough, a home made syrup of 2 parts of honey, one part of lime juice and tulsi (ginger) juice is helpful. 

A child can be given 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls of this mixture 4 to 5 times a day.

Children with measles prefer to stay in dark as bright light causes discomfort to the eyes.

For fever , sponging with warm water can be done or paracetamol can be given. Daily sponging of the whole body is advisable. A bath with slightly warm water is also allowed.

Give the child whatever food he ask for , no food restrictions are necessary . Make sure he drinks enough fluids, including juice, coconut water and plain water. Consult your doctor to rule out complications if your child refuses all  foods and liquids and if he has fast breathing, earache, persistent headache,  drowsiness and vomiting or if the fever and cough persist after about 10 days.

Your child with measles is infectious  to others from 1 to 2 days before the onset of illness to about 4 days after the rash appears. Keep him home from school and away from your other children.  If the patient's brother or sister  has not had measles before, they should not be sent to school or any crowded place for  10 days. This is to prevent from infecting people who come in contact with them.

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Treatment