Measles

Measles (probably from <a href="/facts/Middle_Dutch/E1h4swn9">Middle Dutch</a> or <a href="/facts/Middle_High_German/LI9JRDIu">Middle High German</a> masel(e), meaning "blemish, <a href="/facts/Blood_blister/MccW1qYI">blood blister</a>") is a highly contagious, <a href="/facts/Vaccine-preventable_diseases/umgVTbIP">vaccine-preventable</a> <a href="/facts/Infectious_disease/182XrncP">infectious disease</a> caused by <a href="/facts/Measles_morbillivirus/96sVRzuL">measles virus</a>. Other names include morbilli, rubeola, 9-day measles, red measles, and English measles.
Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include <a href="/facts/Fever/waVxR2Ac">fever</a>, often greater than 40 °C (104 °F), cough, <a href="/facts/Rhinitis/VYf2UR8U">runny nose</a>, and <a href="/facts/Conjunctivitis/u1NJfh3A">inflamed eyes</a>. Small white spots known as <a href="/facts/Koplik%2527s_spots/eeYpFVFr">Koplik spots</a> may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms. A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms. Common complications include <a href="/facts/Diarrhea/6TBHaRdA">diarrhea</a> (in 8% of cases), <a href="/facts/Otitis_media/m9g53GBM">middle ear infection</a> (7%), and <a href="/facts/Pneumonia/Jw0KquTA">pneumonia</a> (6%). These occur in part due to measles-induced <a href="/facts/Immunosuppression/22GHUHkr">immunosuppression</a>. Less commonly, <a href="/facts/Seizure/zuIrQyze">seizures</a>, <a href="/facts/Blindness/sFuqKj3n">blindness</a>, or <a href="/facts/Encephalitis/auHEjvrD">inflammation of the brain</a> may occur.
Measles is an <a href="/facts/Airborne_disease/hpm1oR83">airborne disease</a> which <a href="/facts/Human-to-human_transmission/L1XIzEXA">spreads easily from one person to the next</a> through the <a href="/facts/Cough/mqyhR6zj">coughs</a> and <a href="/facts/Sneeze/Nxj3dJbc">sneezes</a> of infected people. It may also be spread through direct contact with mouth or <a href="/facts/Mucus/hnlBuHAy">nasal secretions</a>. It is extremely contagious: nine out of ten people who are not immune and share living space with an infected person will be infected. Furthermore, measles's <a href="/facts/Reproductive_number/xt6uzk7U">reproductive number</a> estimates vary beyond the frequently cited range of 12 to 18, with a 2017 review giving a range of 3.7 to 203.3. People are infectious to others from four days before to four days after the start of the rash. While often regarded as a childhood illness, it can affect people of any age. Most people do not get the disease more than once. Testing for the measles virus in suspected cases is important for public health efforts. Measles is not known to occur in other animals.
Once a person has become infected, no specific treatment is available, although <a href="/facts/Supportive_care/zQlnUC9x">supportive care</a> may improve outcomes. Such care may include <a href="/facts/Oral_rehydration_solution/MP7ecgrJ">oral rehydration solution</a> (slightly sweet and salty fluids), healthy food, and medications to control the fever. <a href="/facts/Antibiotics/sF1kIfxg">Antibiotics</a> should be prescribed if secondary bacterial infections such as ear infections or pneumonia occur. <a href="/facts/Vitamin_A/5ewDf9LF">Vitamin A</a> supplementation is also recommended for children under the age of 5. Among cases reported in the U.S. between 1985 and 1992, death occurred in 0.2% of cases, but may be up to 10% in people with <a href="/facts/Malnutrition/KasQy5MR">malnutrition</a>. Most of those who die from the infection are less than five years old.
The <a href="/facts/Measles_vaccine/t0PwyzAX">measles vaccine</a> is effective at preventing the disease, is exceptionally safe, and is often delivered <a href="/facts/MMR_vaccine/h3Q77CVD">in combination</a> with other vaccines. Due to the ease with which measles is transmitted from person to person in a community, more than 95% of the community must be vaccinated in order to achieve <a href="/facts/Herd_immunity/8y11dyAI">herd immunity</a>.[better source needed] <a href="/facts/Vaccination/3SfpzPsd">Vaccination</a> resulted in an 80% decrease in deaths from measles between 2000 and 2017, with about 85% of children worldwide having received their first dose as of 2017. Measles affects about 20 million people a year, primarily in the developing areas of Africa and Asia. It is one of the leading vaccine-preventable disease causes of death. In 1980, 2.6 million people died from measles, and in 1990, 545,000 died due to the disease; by 2014, global vaccination programs had reduced the number of deaths from measles to 73,000. Despite these trends, rates of disease and deaths increased from 2017 to 2019 due to a decrease in immunization.

Measles open-in-new

Measles