Measles Rash

Measles rash

        Measles is a viral disease. The reservoir of measles virus is the man. This disease is contagious, it spreads from one person to another through air, the virus is carried in droplets of saliva. It is often contracted during childhood. Some adults who are not immunized (which have not had the disease in childhood and have not been vaccinated) can also contract it.

Evolution of measles rash

        3 to 5 days, fever decreases gradually and the patient feels better. The rash is quickly less visible, leaving behind a brown color drawing on copper, followed by desquamation (drop small bits of skin). The cough persists 1 to 2 weeks. Usually, for a child in good health, measles poses no particular problem and the mortality rate is low when there are no complications, mainly respiratory superinfections match rhinitis (inflammation nasal) accompanied by pus. The first sign of infection is usually a high fever which begins approximately 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus and lasts four to seven days. During this initial stage, the table may include rhinorrhea (runny nose), cough, eyes red and watery, and small white spots inside the cheeks. The rash appears several days later, usually on the face and upper neck. In three days, it eventually reaches the hands and feet. It lasts for five to six days before disappearing. We observed an average 14 days after exposure to the virus in a range of 7 to 18 days.

        Severe measles is particularly in young malnourished child, especially if vitamin A is inadequate or if the immune system is weakened by HIV / AIDS or other diseases. Most deaths are due to complications of the disease. These are more frequent before the age of five years or adults over twenty years. Among the most serious complications, there is blindness, encephalitis (which can be accompanied by cerebral edema), severe diarrhea (which may cause dehydration), ear infections and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. In populations highly affected by malnutrition and who do not receive adequate health care, up to 10% of measles cases are fatal.