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What is measles?
Measles is a very contagious respiratory infection. It causes a total rash and flu-like symptoms. Every year, 20 million cases occur worldwide, of which about 50,000 in India are caused by measles and rubella. Measles (also called rubella) is caused by a virus, so there is no specific medical treatment. The virus must take its course. A sick child must stay at home or daycare to prevent the spread of infection.
What are the signs and symptoms of measles?
The first symptoms of a measles infection are usually a cough, a runny nose, a high fever and red eyes. Children may also have spots of Koplik (small red spots with blue-white centers) inside the mouth before the onset of rash.
The rash occurs 3 to 5 days after the onset of symptoms, sometimes accompanied by a high fever up to 104 ° F (40 ° C). The red or reddish-brown rash usually starts with flat red spots on the forehead. It spreads to the rest of the face, then descends the neck and torso up to the arms, legs and feet. The fever and the rashes disappear slowly after a few days.
Measles is very contagious. In fact, 9 out of 10 people who are not vaccinated against measles will get it if they are near an infected person.
How do people contract measles?
Measles is spread when people breathe or come into direct contact with a liquid that is infected with the virus. It can pass through sprayed droplets in the air when a person who has measles sneezes or coughs. A person exposed to the virus may not experience symptoms until 8 to 10 days later.
How is measles treated?
There is no specific medical treatment for measles. To help manage the symptoms:
• Give your child plenty of fluids
• Encourage additional rest
• Give paracetamol if a fever makes your child feel uncomfortable. Never give aspirin to a child with a viral illness because its use is related to Reye's syndrome.
Children with measles should be closely monitored by a doctor. In some cases, measles can lead to other complications, such as ear infections, croup, diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis (irritation and swelling of the brain).
Can we prevent measles?
The best way to protect your children is to make sure that they are immunized against measles by getting you vaccinated with two doses at 9 months and 15 months.
For most children, protection against measles is part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine given at 9 months and between 12 and 15 months of age and again 4 to 6 years old.
It is important that all children can get the vaccine on time. People at risk (such as those with weakened immune systems) can not get the vaccine and depend on "collective immunity". It is at this point that many people are immune to a disease that prevents it from spreading and helps prevent epidemics.
Most people with measles have not been vaccinated.
The people most at risk during an outbreak are:
• Infants who are not old enough to receive the vaccine
• Pregnant women
• People with poor nutrition or a weakened immune system
If they have contact with a person with measles, doctors can inject measles antibodies (called immunoglobulins). It is most effective when it is administered within 6 days of contact. These antibodies can either prevent measles or reduce symptoms.
The measles vaccine may offer some protection to women who are not pregnant and to people who are not in a risk group if they are given within 72 hours of exposure to measles.
What is rubella?
The rubella virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the family Togaviridae (genus Rubivirus). Infection with the rubella virus gives rise to two distinct clinical entities depending on when the virus is acquired. When it is acquired after birth (after birth until adulthood), the virus produces a mild disease with a characteristic rash.
However, when it is acquired during fetal development, the virus causes congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which can be devastating and result in death of the fetus (baby in the uterus). Its association with the SRC led to the development of an effective vaccine in 1970. In countries that have adopted effective rubella vaccination strategies, natural infection rates for rubella and CRS have decreased. Unfortunately, many parts of the world do not have effective rubella vaccination programs, and some people in countries with access to the vaccine choose not to vaccinate. This leaves a significant portion of the world's population vulnerable to rubella virus and CRS infection.
What damage can cause rubella infection?
In postnatal infection, 20 to 50% of those infected are asymptomatic. Younger patients are often asymptomatic until the onset of rash, but may present with a mild coryza and diarrhea. Rubella has a distinctive pattern of lymphadenopathy manifested by enlargement of the post-auricular and suboccipital ganglia.
In congenital rubella syndrome, all organ systems may be involved in the rubella-infected fetus, leading to an impressive number of possible discoveries at birth. The SRC is characterized by the classic triad of cataracts, heart defects and deafness. Results in infants with CRS include: sensorineural hearing loss, cataracts, pigmented retinopathy, glaucoma, congenital heart disease (such as ductal canal arterial disease (PDA), peripheral pulmonary stenosis), microcephaly (small head and brain), meningoencephalitis (brain infection), hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenic purpura, large anterior fontanelle, cryptorchidism / inguinal hernia, etc. and even dead.
How to prevent rubella?
Rubella vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine. Three separate rubella vaccines were licensed in the United States in 1969. Since 1979, only one vaccine (strain RA 27/3) has been registered in the United States. It is currently available in combination with measles and mumps vaccines or measles, mumps and varicella (MMRV) vaccines.
Rubella vaccine is safe and immunogenic. Ninety-five percent or more of vaccinees aged at least 12 months develop serologic evidence of immunity after a single dose and their immunity lasts for at least 15 years in over 90% of those vaccinated . At least one dose of rubella vaccine is recommended for all children 9 months of age and older. A second dose of the rubella-containing vaccine is recommended in patients aged 15 months to 5 years to produce immunity in those who do not respond to the first dose.
By choosing not to vaccinate, one continues not only to be vulnerable to infection but also to remain a potential threat of transmission of infection to others.
Posted in the public interest by the Indain Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), Nagaland
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