Measles are caused by a very infectious virus that lives in mucous from the nose and saliva from the mouth of an infected individual. It is spread by inhaling droplets from an infected person when they cough or sneeze.
The measles infection occurs in phases, lasting two to three weeks. After the incubation period comes the acute phase in which you will see a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose and conjunctivitis or inflamed eyes. This typically lasts a few days followed by the measles rash. The rash appears first on the head and face and inside the mouth. The rash inside the mouth appears on the inside of the check and looks like tiny white spots with bluish centers. The rash then moves in a downward trend until it reaches the feet. It is red blotches that can be slightly raised and run into one another. The rash is accompanied by a high fever, reaching as high as 104 or 105 Fahrenheit. The rash gradually fades, receding first from the head and lastly from the feet. 

The person diagnosed with measles is extremely contagious for four days before they present with a rash until four days after the rash has made its presence. Anyone in the home who has not been vaccinated needs to get the vaccinations. The person with measles needs to be isolated and only cared for by someone who has either had the illness or has had the vaccinations. Young children should stay away from the person with measles. If you are caring for someone with measles it’s important for that person to remain isolated. If they are out of the room in which they are isolated in, the person with measles needs to maintain reverse isolation. This means they need to keep a mask on them at all times when out of their room. A person with measles should avoid any and all activities in which they would interact with others for at least the infectious period.

In order to prevent measles you should be vaccinated. There has been no certain link between vaccinations and autism, only speculation. In the UK in the early 2000’s there was a sharp decrease in the number of children who were vaccinated for measles due to the possible connection between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination and autism. During this time there was a sharp increase in the number of reported cases of measles. Since that time, the number of reported measles cases has been declining as people are getting vaccinated. 

Vaccination is the key to preventing measles. Isolation is the key to preventing the spread of measles.