Search results
4 days ago · Young, dark-skinned child with watery eyes, runny nose, and raised rash. Face of boy after three days with measles rash. Skin of a patient after three days with measles rash. Child with a classic measles rash after four days. Skin sloughing off of a child healing from measles infection.
Apr 9, 2024 · It first appears on your face and spreads to the rest of your body, lasting about three days. Up to 50% of people infected with German measles are asymptomatic. People who get sick from German measles have the following problems one to five days before the rash appears: Mild illness. Low-grade fever.
- On this page
- Symptoms
- When to see a doctor
- From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
- Causes
- Risk factors
- Complications
- Prevention
- News from Mayo Clinic
•Overview
•Symptoms
•When to see a doctor
•Causes
•Risk factors
•Complications
Measles signs and symptoms appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Signs and symptoms of measles typically include:
•Fever
•Dry cough
•Runny nose
•Sore throat
•Inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis)
Call your health care provider if you think you or your child may have been exposed to measles or if you or your child has a rash that looks like measles.
Review your family's vaccination records with your provider, especially before your children start day care, school or college and before international travel outside of the U.S.
Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.
To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.
Measles is a highly contagious illness. This means it's very easily spread to others. Measles is caused by a virus found in the nose and throat of an infected child or adult. When someone with measles coughs, sneezes or talks, infectious droplets spray into the air, where other people can breathe them in. The infectious droplets can hang in the air for about an hour.
The infectious droplets may also land on a surface, where they can live and spread for several hours. You can get the measles virus by putting your fingers in your mouth or nose or rubbing your eyes after touching the infected surface.
Risk factors for measles include:
•Being unvaccinated. If you haven't had the measles vaccine, you're much more likely to get measles.
•Traveling internationally. If you travel to countries where measles is more common, you're at higher risk of catching measles.
•Having a vitamin A deficiency. If you don't have enough vitamin A in your diet, you're more likely to have more-severe symptoms and complications of measles.
Complications of measles may include:
•Diarrhea and vomiting. Diarrhea and vomiting can result in losing too much water from the body (dehydration).
•Ear infection. One of the most common complications of measles is a bacterial ear infection.
•Bronchitis, laryngitis or croup. Measles may lead to irritation and swelling (inflammation) of the airways (croup). It can also lead to inflammation of the inner walls that line the main air passageways of the lungs (bronchitis). Measles can also cause inflammation of the voice box (laryngitis).
•Pneumonia. Measles can commonly cause an infection in the lungs (pneumonia). People with weakened immune systems can develop an especially dangerous type of pneumonia that sometimes can lead to death.
•Encephalitis. About 1 in 1,000 people with measles can develop a complication called encephalitis. Encephalitis is irritation and swelling (inflammation) of the brain. The condition can be especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. Encephalitis may occur right after measles, or it might not occur until months later. Encephalitis can cause permanent brain damage.
Measles vaccine in children
The measles vaccine is usually given as a combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. This vaccine may also include the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine — measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine. Health care providers recommend that children receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age, and again between 4 and 6 years of age — before entering school. The MMR vaccine's two doses are 97% effective in preventing measles and protecting against it for life. In the small number of people who get measles after being vaccinated, the symptoms are generally mild. Keep in mind:
Measles vaccine in adults
You may need the measles vaccine if you're an adult who does not have proof of immunity and: Proof of immunity — protection from getting measles infection — includes:
Preventing measles during an outbreak or known infection
If someone in your household has measles, take these precautions to protect family and friends without immunity:
•Preventing measles outbreaks in the US through vaccination
•Researchers map how measles virus spreads in human brain
People also ask
What happens if a child gets measles?
What are Koplik spots on a child with measles?
Can measles cause vision problems?
Aug 21, 2019 · Pictures: What measles looks like. Here are some pictures of what a measles rash may look like. ... Measles has a low death rate in children and adults with optimal immune systems. Most people who ...
- Valencia Higuera
Mar 30, 2019 · The first signs. Within seven to 14 days after getting infected with the measles, your first symptoms will appear. The earliest symptoms feel like a cold or the flu, with a fever, cough, runny ...
Young boy five to six days into illness with rash and cough. (From measles clinical features video) Young, dark-skinned child with watery eyes, runny nose, and raised rash. PHIL Photo ID#1150. Face of boy after three days with measles rash. PHIL Photo ID# 3168. Skin of a patient after three days with measles rash.
