MEASLES : ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT

OVERVIEW

Measles, that is also known as rubeola is a kind of viral infection that is an acute and highly contagious viral  disease. The characteristic features of this kind of viral infection are a runny nose, redness of eyes, and a skin rash that spreads very quickly to the entire body. This kind of viral infection is highly disastrous.

The kind of virus that causes this type of viral infection belongs to the family named morbillivirus. The specific species of this family of the virus that causes this kind of viral infection is names as Measles morbillivirus.

This kind of viral infection was  very common earlier in people of almost all age groups, but especially in children and infants. This viral infection can be fatal as well as deadly for small children if they are not provided with the correct treatment at the proper time.

The most appropriate and the most specific way for the treatment as well as for the prevention of this kind of viral disease is vaccination. Due to vaccination itself this disease is not wide spread yet. There are various other treatments and preventive measures that are available for this kind of viral infection. But all of these treatments and preventive measures are not as effective as useful as the vaccination. If this kind of viral infection is not treated at the proper time, then it may turn fatal and even deadly in some severe cases, especially in case of children and infants.

 

TYPES OF MEASLES

The type of measles means the type of viral species that causes these kind of viral infections. There are basically two types of these kind of viral infections. Though both of these kinds of this viral infection have some similarity in the symptoms they cause, they mostly differ in the type of virus species that causes them. The two types of these kind of viral infections are listed below :

Standard measles

• This type of viral infection is also known as red measles or hard measles usually.
• The causative agent, that is the virus species that causes this kind of viral infection is rubeola virus, hence measles are also termed as rubeola commonly.
• The symptoms that a person experiences while having this kind of viral infection are almost similar to the symptoms that a person experiences while having common flu.

 

German measles

• This kind of measles is known as rubella in common terms.
• Germen measles are an entirely separate illness and they are caused by a virus that is named as the rubella virus, hence the other name of this type “rubella”
• This kind of viral infection is generally a more milder type of infection as compared to the standard measles
• In this type of viral infection as well, the person experiences the symptoms that are experienced in common flu and the standard measles type.

 

STAGES OF MEASLES

The stage of this kind of viral infection indicates that exactly at what phase of this kind of viral infection the person is suffering currently and in what direction will this phase be leading the person in the next phase. The stage of the disease also describes whether the infection that is caused by the virus is either mild or severe so that the treatment can be done accordingly. There are basically four stages of this kind of viral infection. The four stages that are present in this viral infection are listed below :

1. The incubation phase

• This is the initial phase of the disease when the person comes in contact with the virus.
• This stage lasts for about a week or two, that is about 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus
• This stage does not have any significant or no symptoms at all
• Even though if any symptoms are present then it might not be noticeable in this stage of the disease.

2. The prodromal stage

• The prodromal stage is the second stage after the incubation stage
• In this second stage the symptoms start to occur and if they were already present they begin to become noticeable
• The symptoms begin very gradually and might include a high temperature, a runny nose, a cough and redness of eyes.
• As this disease progresses further the symptoms begin to become more severe from mild and might include nasal congestion, pronounced cough, tightening of chest ( this symptom is more common amongst children)

3. The rash stage

• Almost after three to four days of onset of symptoms or the prodromal stage, the rash stage begins
• With the onset of this rash stage, the symptoms that occurred in the prodormal stage start getting more worse
• The rash that occurs in this kind of viral infection is either flat or slightly raised and is not itchy at all (as in case of scarlet fever) it just gives a red appearance all over the body.
• This rash stage lasts for about 4 to 5 days

4. The recovery phase

• After 4 to 5 days when the rash stage gets over, the recovery stage of this kind of viral infection begins.
• When the rash fades, a very fine flaking of the skin can be observed on the person’s skin who is infected by this kind of viral infection
• After about 10 – 14 days, that is almost about 1 or 2 weeks of developing the rash, the infected person comes back to the normal stage and the completely recovered stage of the skin.

 

SYMPTOMS OF MEASLES

There are various symptoms that a person experiences while he or she is infected by this kind of viral infection. The kind of symptoms a person experiences entirely depend at what stage of the disease the person is at current and what type of the infectious viral disease the person is having. Some of the common signs and symptoms that a person experiences when he or she is infected by this kind of viral disease are listed below :

• A very high fever ( that may rise up to 104 degree F)
• Cough
• Runny nose (also known as coryza)
• Red and watery eyes ( it might be conjunctivitis)
• Sore throat
• Tiny white spots on the skin that have bluish – white centers ( usually found inside the mouth)
• A skin rash that is usually made up of flat blotches that often flow into one another

 

CAUSES OF MEASLES

• The main cause of this kind of viral infection is the virus itself that causes this type of viral disease.
• This viral disease is highly contagious and can be spread easily by either direct or indirect contact with the infected person
• Being unvaccinated also increases the chance of being infected by this kind of viral disease
• Having deficiency of vitamin A is also one of the cause that might eventually lead to this kind of viral infection