Experiencing high fever? Are you sneezing all day? You are showing signs of measles. When left untreated it can lead to blindness, swelling in brain, severe diarrhea, pneumonia etc. Continue reading to know more about the symptoms of measles…
Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children. In 2013, it lead to 1,45,700 deaths.
What is measles?
Measles is a disease that causes rashes all over the body. It can spread easily.
It can be prevented with the help of vaccine. This vaccine is included in MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella [chickenpox]) vaccines. Generally people get these vaccines in their childhood.
What are the symptoms?
A person experiences high fever 10-12 days after exposure to virus. Thereafter, he/she will experience the following symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Dry cough
- Swelling of lymph nodes
- Extreme tiredness
- Red, sore, watery eyes
- Koplik’s spots
Koplik’s spots are tiny white spots with bluish-white centers surrounded with red background. These are found on the inner lining of the cheek inside the mouth.
As the above symptoms reduce, the person will develop rashes.
What causes it?
Measles is caused by a virus. It spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be caused when an infected person shares food or drinks. Since the virus travels through air, close personal contact with an infected person can also lead to measles.
The virus remains active for 2 hours and it can be transmitted by an infected person from 4 days before the rash starts to 4 days after the rash appears.
Generally these symptoms are found in children below the age of 5. If your child experiences these symptoms, consult a pediatrician online at eVaidya now!
If you experience any symptoms of measles, consult a family practice doctor online at eVaidya now!
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