Measles: symptoms, causes, complications, to treatment

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Definition

What is measles?

Quoting from the Mayo Clinic, measles is an infection in infants and children caused by the paramyxovirus virus. Usually transmitted by direct contact and through the air.

Measles or seemingly infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body.

Still based on the Mayo Clinic, measles can kill 100,000 people per year, mostly children and babies under 5 years of age.

Data from WHO shows that before the introduction of measles vaccines in infants, this disease occurred every two to three times a year and measles caused 2.6 million deaths each year.

Still from WHO data, the measles vaccine can reduce infant mortality by around 73 percent or around 23.3 million people, between 2000 and 2018.

How common is this disease?

Measles most often occurs in children. However, this disease can also occur in adults if they have never experienced it as a child.

Adults can reduce the chances of developing this disease by reducing the existing risk factors. Consult a doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms

What are the characteristics and symptoms of measles?

Symptoms of measles often appear about one to two weeks after a person is infected with the virus.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, the earliest symptoms of measles appear are:

• High fever up to 40 Celsius
• Red and watery eyes
• Cold
• Sneezing
• Dry cough
• Sensitive to light
• Tiring easily
• decreased appetite.

Two or three days after the initial symptoms of measles appear, following the next symptoms, which appear grayish white spots in the mouth and throat.

After that, a red-brown rash appears that starts around the ears, head, neck, and spreads to the rest of the body.

This skin rash appears 7-14 days after exposure and can last for 4-10 days. While high fever due to this disease will usually begin to fall on the third day after the rash appears.

When should I see a doctor?

Call the doctor immediately if your child shows the following symptoms:

• A high fever that is getting worse
• Difficult to wake up
• Dazed or delirious constantly
• Difficulty breathing and his complaints don't get better after you clear his nose
• Complained of severe headaches
• Yellow discharge from the eye
• Still complaining of fever after the fourth day the rash appears
• Looks very pale, weak, and limp
• Complaining of earaches

If your little one has signs or symptoms of measles as mentioned above or other questions, consult a doctor.

Complications

What are the complications of this disease?

Death from measles or impregnation in infants is often the result of serious complications. It often occurs in children under 5 years of age or adults over 30 years of age.

In general, your child will be at risk for complications if:

• Still under one year old.
• Have a weak immune system.
• Having certain medical conditions, such as chronic disease.

Serious complications with measles include:

Ear infection

One of the most common complications of measles in babies is ear infection. This infection often occurs due to cold temperatures, sore throat, or allergies that cause fluid to become trapped in the ear area.

Bronchitis

Measles can cause inflammation of the inner wall that lines the main airways of your little one's lungs (bronchial tubes). Conditions that are severe enough can cause complications such as bronchitis in children.

Pneumonia

Babies who have measles and have an imperfect immune system, have the possibility of developing complications of pneumonia and this is quite fatal.

Pneumonia is an infection that attacks the lungs, causing the air sacs in the lungs to become inflamed and swell.

Pneumonia in children and babies can be very dangerous and cause death. WHO states that pneumonia is the cause of 16 percent of under-five mortality in the world in 2015.

If the baby has measles and complications with pneumonia, this is very dangerous and can even cause death.

Encephalitis

This is an inflammatory condition of brain tissue that is actually very rare but when it attacks, it can be very serious.

When complications occur in babies along with encephalitis, they are very dangerous. Can cause brain seizures and weakness.

Children who have weak immune systems are especially prone to experiencing this. Encephatilis is caused by one of several viral infections, so it is sometimes called viral encephalitis.

Apart from the four diseases above, complications can also cause:

• Blindness
• Infection with swelling of the brain (encephalitis)
• Severe diarrhea
• Dehydration

Measles is easily affected by malnourished infants and children, especially babies deficient in vitamin A. In addition, measles is also easily affected by children whose immune systems are weak due to HIV / AIDS.

Cause

What causes measles?

This disease is caused by a highly contagious paramyxovirus virus. Transmission can occur if you inhale the splash of water in the air from sneezing, coughing, or saliva containing the virus from a patient.

In addition, touching items contaminated with the virus can also cause you to develop this disease.

The virus that causes this disease can survive in the air and on surfaces for more than 2 hours.

That is why, if your child touches an item that is splashed with this disease virus, then accidentally rubs his eyes, puts his hand to his nose or mouth, his little one can become infected.

This disease can also be transmitted by an infected person from 4 days before the onset of symptoms to 4 days after symptoms have started to subside.

In many cases, if the disease is not treated properly, it can become an endemic disease that causes many deaths, especially among malnourished children.

Although this disease more often affects children, adults can also be infected with this virus if they have never been exposed to this disease before or have not been immunized.

Risk factors

Who is at risk for measles?

Measles is very deadly if the vaccine is not given to the baby. From the official WHO website, it is explained that babies who are not vaccinated are at high risk of getting measles and other complications, even to death.

Following are the conditions of babies who are at risk of getting measles, quoting from Healthy Children:

• Infants under 12 months of age who are not immunized
• The baby has not had the measles vaccine
• Infants living in the area of ​​the population
• Babies who are not exclusively breastfed
• Travel to a country with a high rate of measles
• Vitamin A deficiency

Anyone who is not immune, not vaccinated or has been vaccinated but does not develop immunity can get measles.

Although vaccines have become popular in several countries, measles is still common in many developing countries. Especially in parts of Africa and parts of Asia.

For the most part, more than 95 percent of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita income and weak health facilities.

Measles outbreaks can be deadly in countries experiencing natural disasters or conflicts.

Damage and congestion in residential tents greatly increases the risk of infection and transmission.

Medicines & Medicines

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

How do you treat measles?

In fact, there is no specific treatment for measles, for both babies and adults. The reason is, unlike bacterial infection, measles is caused by a viral infection that is not sensitive to antibiotics.

The virus and symptoms can go away in about two to three weeks. What parents can do is reduce the severity, namely:

1. Get plenty of rest

The key to overcoming measles in infants is to get plenty of rest. Therefore, make sure the child reduces physical activity and play for a while.

By getting enough rest, your child's immune system will be stronger to fight viral infections that are growing in his body.

2. Limit contact with the surrounding environment

People with this disease must be “isolated” temporarily because it is highly contagious. Therefore, it is important for parents to limit their little ones from contact with the surrounding environment, so that they do not spread to their friends.

If the child has entered school age, ask for permission not to go to school until the fever and rash are gone.

Also separate children affected by this disease from their siblings, especially if they have babies who have not received measles immunization.

For vulnerable family members or contacts, vaccinations or human immunoglobulin for prevention can be given. It is also a good idea for the child to be given a mask to limit transmission through coughing or sneezing.

No less important, separate all toiletries and food items that your little one uses if he has this disease. This is done in order to avoid transmitting measles to infants and children through indirect contact.

3. Pay attention to food intake

Paying attention to the intake of nutritious food plays an important role in overcoming measles in infants and children. Eat a balanced nutritious diet of fruits and vegetables that contain lots of vitamins to boost children's immunity.

Unfortunately, measles in babies and children often makes it difficult for them to eat because the symptoms of this disease can sometimes irritate the esophagus.

Even so, don't worry, parents can work around this by providing food in the form of porridge. Also make sure to avoid fried foods and cold foods and drinks for a while.

4. Don't be afraid to shower

Many people believe that babies and children who have measles should not come into contact with water because it will aggravate the red spots on their skin.

As a result, not a few parents do not allow their children to take a bath.

In fact, after the child has no fever, parents can bathe him normally. This is done to reduce itching due to the rash while providing comfort for your little one.

When taking a shower, use a soap that doesn't irritate the problematic skin. After bathing, dry your little one's body with a soft cloth and apply a special itchy powder to his body.

5. Drink lots of water

Measles usually shows the initial symptoms of a high fever. This high fever will generally deplete the body's fluids and electrolytes.

Therefore, give him enough to stay hydrated and replace lost fluids. Especially if the child also experiences vomiting and diarrhea.

6. Take pain relievers

To reduce fever and reduce pain, you or your child can take fever-reducing drugs and pain relievers, such as aspirin (paracetamol) and ibuprofen.

However, it must be remembered, do not give aspirin to children under 16 years.

This can cause the child to develop Reye's syndrome. The use of antibiotics is rarely done unless the doctor finds other infections experienced by your little one.

In addition, drinking vitamin A can also help speed recovery if you or your little one has this disease. The dose of vitamin A given is:

• Infants less than 6 months of 50,000 IU / day, are given 2 doses.
• Age 6-11 months 100,000 IU / day, 2 doses.
• Age over 1 year 200,000 IU / day, 2 doses.
• Children with signs of vitamin A deficiency, the first 2 doses are according to age, followed by a third age-appropriate dose given 2-4 weeks later.

Always consult a doctor before taking additional supplements. Because the dosage and the rules for using each supplement may be different.

What are the usual tests for measles?

Your doctor will diagnose your baby's disease based on the characteristic rash that is a small, bluish-white spot with a bright red base (Koplik's spot) on the inner lining of the cheek.

If needed, a blood test can confirm whether the rash is really a symptom of the disease or not.

Home remedies

What are the home remedies that can be done to treat measles?

Some of the lifestyle changes and home remedies that can help treat measles in babies and children include:

• Timely control to see the progress of disease and health conditions of children.
• Follow all the advice given by the doctor properly,
• Cover your mouth when you cough, if necessary, always use a mask.
• Clean children's hands regularly.

Prevention

How do you prevent measles?

Measles is a very contagious disease, because it can be spread through physical contact and air. This condition can cause an epidemic that causes many deaths.

Here's how to deal with squeezing in babies so that your little one doesn't get infected:

Immunization

Quoting from WHO, immunization is one of the effective strategies to reduce the death rate from measles.

The measles vaccine in infants has been used for nearly 60 years and has been proven safe as well as effective.

In 2018, about 86 percent of children worldwide received one dose of measles vaccine on their first birthday. This figure is up from the year 2000 which was around 72 percent.

However, it is estimated that around 19.2 million babies in the world do not receive the routine measles vaccine, 6.1 million people are in three countries, namely India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

This is what keeps the virus active and contagious in the air and on infected surfaces for up to two hours.

Avoid travel

If you have planned a trip abroad with your family, including your little one, you should avoid it.

This is because babies under six months of age are too young to be vaccinated against measles, so that when traveling, they will be more susceptible to catching viruses outside.

Plus if you travel to a country or area with a high risk of measles. Better to postpone until the time your little one gets measles immunization.

Prevent new infections

When your baby has measles, the body has built up the immune system to fight the infection. This keeps your child from getting measles a second time.

To prevent catching new infections, here are some steps, quoting from the Mayo Clinic:

Maintain immunity

Vaccines are one way to increase immunity against measles, including in infants. It is very important to keep the body healthy after the vaccine by eating a healthy diet.

But recently, the rate of babies getting vaccinated has decreased considerably because families have chosen not to vaccinate their children for some reason.

Prevent other diseases

The measles vaccine is often combined with rubella, this is an initiative between WHO and UNICEF to reduce and ensure that no child dies of measles and is born with congenital rubella syndrome.

This is one way to prevent and stop measles and rubella in children. This is what makes babies need to be given the measles and rubella (MR) vaccine at the age of 9-15 months.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.