In recent years, there has been a significant resurgence of the virus measles.
Also known as rubeola, Healthline defines measles as “a viral infection that starts in the respiratory system”.
Despite the fact that it’s almost always easily preventable with the use of a measles
vaccine, this virus continues to remain a significant cause of death around the world.
According to WHO, The measles virus was responsible for 110 thousand deaths worldwide in the year 2017,
with the majority of these deaths being children under the age of 5 years old.
What’s more, it is currently on the rise in the United States, as well.
With measles exacting such a heavy toll, it’s never been more important to make sure you
know everything there is to know about this disease, in order to best ensure that both
you and your loved ones are as protected as possible.
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Common Causes Measles is caused when a person becomes infected
by a virus belonging to the paramyxovirus family.
Like all other viruses, this infection consists of tiny microbes which take on a parasitic
relationship with the host they infect.
Once they have entered a host body, the viral microbes invade the host’s cells and use
the compounds from those cells to complete their life cycle.
Typically, the first part of the body targeted by measles is the respiratory tract, consisting
of the internal organs that are vital to our ability to breathe.
From there, the disease can also potentially spread to other parts of the body as well
by hitching a ride through the bloodstream.
There are 24 different genetic variations of the measles virus, although at this time
of writing, only 6 of these measles variants are currently in circulation.
Signs And Symptoms The telltale signs and symptoms of the measles
virus usually do not manifest until some time between 10 and 14 days after the initial infection.
During this period, the virus incubates inside the host, with no visual or otherwise noticeable
signifiers.
After this initial incubation period, individuals affected by measles may begin to experience
nonspecific symptoms that are typically milder in nature, such as a fever, cough, sore throat,
runny nose, and swollen or inflamed eyes.
This period of milder symptoms typically lasts somewhere around two or three days.
After this period, those infected with the measles virus may experience a rash consisting
of red spots and bumps that give the skin a blotchy appearance, usually first appearing
on the face and spreading from there.
During this period, the infected individual may also experience a significant spike in
temperature, with fevers often rising as high as 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 41 degrees
Celsius.
Other common symptoms of measles is the appearance of small, whitish spots which form inside
the mouth or inner cheeks, which are sometimes referred to as Koplik’s spots.
Contagiousness and Spreading It’s worth mentioning that the measles virus
is also highly contagious, with infected patients running the risk of spreading the illness
to others as well.
The communicable period for measles is usually around 8 days in length; this period typically
begins about 4 days before the first appearance of the skin rash and ends four days after
the rash’s first appearance.
Measles is an airborne virus, meaning that it can be spread through particles in the
air.
If a person infected with measles coughs or sneezes, this releases respiratory droplets
into the air through which the virus can spread and latch on to objects and surfaces.
As you might expect, touching a surface that these particles have settled on would, in
turn, put you at risk for contracting the virus as well.
The measles virus can survive and maintain infectious in the air or on surfaces for up
to two hours, meaning that the risk factor of becoming infected persists for much longer
than you might have expected.
If you think your immune system can fight off the infection of measles on its own, think
again; a susceptible person who comes in contact with the measles virus has a 90 percent chance
of becoming infected themselves.
If left unchecked, a person infected with measles can go on to spread the virus to anywhere
between 9 and 18 other susceptible individuals.
Diagnosis and Prevention When it comes to preventing the spread of
the measles virus, the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to properly
immunize yourself with the measles vaccine.
On the World Health Organization’s website, information on the vaccine and its availability
is written thusly:
“Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns
in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce
global measles deaths.
The measles vaccine has been in use for over 50 years.
It is safe, effective and inexpensive.
It costs approximately one US dollar to immunize a child against measles.”
In the year 2017, approximately 85 percent of the world’s children received at least
one dose of the measles vaccine before their first birthday.
However, it is also worth mentioning that about 15 percent of children do not receive
full immunity from their first dosage of the vaccine; for that reason, it is recommended
that every child receives at least 2 doses of the vaccine in order to ensure full protection
and maximize the chance of developing an immunity to the virus.
Unfortunately, the number of children worldwide who received 2 doses of the vaccine is comparatively
less, covering only about 67 percent of all children in the year 2017.
If you suspect that you or someone close to you either has measles or has been exposed
to someone with measles, it is strongly recommended that you contact your doctor immediately.
From there, medical professionals will be able to perform an evaluation and diagnosis
to determine whether or not you have truly come in contact with the virus.
This evaluation may include the examination of your skin for rashes, inspecting your mouth
for white spots, and performing a blood test to try and locate the virus, as well as checking
for some of the other more minor symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and
so on.
Unfortunately, there is currently no effective treatment method for individuals who have
already become infected by the measles virus.
This is because, unlike with bacterial infections, viral infections such as measles are not sensitive
to antibiotics.
However, the virus and its symptoms typically disappear from the patient within two or three
weeks.
An infected person may be able to recover faster if they receive the measles vaccine
within 72 hours of exposure to the virus, or if they receive a dose of immune proteins
known as immunoglobulin within six days of the initial exposure.
Like any disease, however, early prevention is always the safest, easiest and most effective
way to make sure you’re covered.
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