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measles
(me´zәlz)
a highly contagious illness caused by a virus; it is usually a childhood disease but can be contracted at any age. The incubation
period averages about 11 days; a person can transmit the disease for about a week, from 3 or 4 days before the rash appears
until it begins to fade. One attack of measles usually gives lifetime immunity. In the first stage of the disease, the patient
feels tired and uncomfortable, and may have a runny nose, cough, slight fever, and pains in the head and back. The eyes may
become reddened and sensitive to light. The second stage begins after about three days with a high fever and appearance of
a rash that starts at the hairline and behind the ears and spreads downward to cover the body. At first the rash consists
of separate pink spots, but later some spots may run together, giving the patient a blotchy look; the rash turns brown and
fades after 3 or 4 days. Koplik spots, small white dots surrounded by inflamed areas, may be seen on the gums and the inside of the cheeks. The fever usually subsides
after the rash has spread. In a small number of cases, patients develop encephalitis that can cause mental retardation. Other complications include pneumonia, otitis media, and mastoiditis. Called also rubeola.
German measles
rubella.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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