Measles outbreaks have become more common, and are especially dangerous for younger children and people who are pregnant or immunocompromised.
September 14, 2023By Claire McCarthy, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
When measles broke out in 31 states several years ago, health experts were surprised to see more than 1,200 confirmed cases –– the largest number reported in the US since 1992.
Measles is a very contagious, preventable illness that may cause serious health complications, especially in younger children and people who are pregnant, or whose immune systems aren’t working well. While a highly effective vaccine is available, vaccination rates are low in some communities across the US. This sets the stage for large outbreaks.
Here are four things that everyone needs to know about measles.
Measles is highly contagious
This is a point that can’t be stressed enough. A full 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will catch it. And if you think that just staying away from sick people will do the trick, think again. Not only are people with measles infectious for four days before they break out with the rash, but the virus can live in the air for up to two hours after an infectious person coughs or sneezes. Just imagine: if an infectious person sneezes in an elevator, everyone riding that elevator for the next two hours could be exposed.
Protect yourself from the damage of chronic inflammation.
Science has proven that chronic, low-grade inflammation can turn into a silent killer that contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and other conditions. Get simple tips to fight inflammation and stay healthy — from Harvard Medical School experts.
LEARN MORE
View Protect yourself from the damage of chronic inflammation.
It’s hard to know that a person has measles when they first get sick
The first symptoms of measles are a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis), which could be confused with any number of other viruses, especially during cold and flu season. After two or three days people develop spots in the mouth called Koplik spots, but we don’t always go looking in our family members’ mouths. The characteristic rash develops three to five days after the symptoms begin, as flat red spots that start on the face at the hairline and spread downward all over the body. At that point you might realize that it isn’t a garden-variety virus — and at that point, the person would have been spreading germs for four days.
Measles can be dangerous
Most of the time, as with other childhood viruses, people weather it fine, but there can be complications. Children less than 5 years old and adults older than 20 are at highest risk of complications. Common and milder complications include diarrhea and ear infections (although the ear infections can lead to hearing loss), and one out of five will need to be hospitalized, but there also can be serious complications:
- One in 20 people with measles gets pneumonia. This is the most common cause of death from the illness.
- One in 1,000 gets encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can lead to seizures, deafness, or even brain damage.
- One to three in 1,000 children who get it will die.
Another possible complication can occur seven to 10 years after infection, more commonly when people get the infection as infants. It’s called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. While it is rare (four to 11 out of 100,000 infections), it is fatal.
Oregonstate News Blog 