Causes
Measles is caused by a type of virus called a paramyxovirus. This kind of virus spreads from person to person via ‘droplets’ from coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms
The measles virus incubates for 10-12 days before the illness actually starts. The earliest symptoms resemble those of a heavy cold – runny nose, sneezing, fever, conjunctivitis and a dry cough. You might notice tiny white marks, known as ‘Koplik’s spots’, on the inside of your child’s cheek and at the back of her mouth.
The measles rash typically appears on the third or fourth day of the illness, starting behind the ears and along the hairline. It consists of small, red, irregularly shaped patches that spread over your child’s face and neck during the first 24 hours, before later spreading to the body, arms and legs.
The patches join up to give a blotchy, red appearance to your child’s skin. When this happens, your child’s fever might become very high. Your child usually will start to feel better after 3-5 days, when the rash starts to fade and the fever goes down. You might notice your child’s skin peeling at this time.
Measles can have occasional complications, such as ear infection, laryngitis and pneumonia. These are usually bacterial infections and can be treated with antibiotics. Encephalitis is a rare complication of measles.
If your child gets measles, she’s infectious from one week before until one week after the rash appears. You should keep your child at home during this period to prevent the spread of the illness.
When to see your doctor
You should see your doctor if you notice the symptoms described above, and you think your child might have measles.
Treatment
Your doctor might give your child a blood test to confirm whether it’s measles.
There is no cure for measles. The best you can do is treat the symptoms. This involves trying to bring the fever down with paracetamol in recommended doses, and making sure that your child drinks plenty of fluids and gets lots of bed rest. If your child complains of sore eyes, you might try keeping the lighting in your house dim.
Prevention
All children are now routinely immunised against measles, in conjunction with mumps and rubella (German measles). This is a vaccine commonly known as MMR. In Australia, your child will receive the first immunisation dose of MMR at 12 months and the second dose at four years.
Immunising your child with the recommended two doses provides him with 99% immunity against measles. If your child isn’t immunised and you think he’s been exposed to measles, it’s important to see your doctor as soon as possible – within 72 hours.
Some parents are concerned that the MMR vaccine is associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But no link has been found. If you have any concerns, you can discuss them with your doctor.
Our article on
vaccinations and ASD outlines the background to claims that childhood vaccinations cause ASD. The article explains that large-scale studies have failed to find any link.
