Journal of Infectious Diseases & Preventive Medicine
Open Access

The Introduction of Measles: A Viral Infectious Disease

Abdullah Al Wahbi^{* *}Correspondence: Abdullah Al Wahbi, Department of Surgery King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email:

Author info »

Introduction

A childhood infection caused by a virus is Measles. Once very common, measles with a vaccine can now almost always be prevented. Often called rubella, for small children, measles can be dangerous and even fatal. Although death rates have fallen globally as more children undergo the measles vaccine, more than 100,000 people are still killed each year by the disease, most of them under the age of 5. As a result of high vaccination rates in general, measles has not been prevalent for more than a decade in the United States. In 2004, the United States had about 30 measles cases, but in 2014, there were more than 600 cases. Most of these incidents occurred outside the country and occurred in persons who were unvaccinated or did not know if they were vaccinated. According to the World Health Organisation, there were around 110,000 global measles-related deaths in 2017, most of them in children below the age of 5 (WHO). In recent years, measles cases have also risen in the U.S.

Causes

Infection with a virus from the paramyxovirus family causes measles. Small parasitic microbes are viruses. The virus invades host cells after you've been infected, and uses cellular components to complete its life cycle. The respiratory tract is affected first by the measles virus. However, it gradually travels across the bloodstream to other areas of the body. Infected droplets can also fall on a surface where they stay infectious for many hours and are contagious. By placing your fingers in your mouth or nose or rubbing your eyes after touching the infected surface, you can contract the virus. Approximately 90% of susceptible individuals who are exposed to someone with the virus are infected.

Measles can be transmitted through the air from respiratory droplets and tiny aerosol particles. Measles is an extremely infectious illness. This means the infection can spread from person to person very quickly. There is a 90% risk of being infected by a susceptible person exposed to the measles virus.

Diagnosis

In addition, an infected person can continue to spread the virus to anywhere between 9 and 18 susceptible people.

Contact your doctor immediately if you believe that you have measles or have been exposed to someone with measles. To decide whether you have the infection, they will diagnose you and guide you were to be seen. Through inspecting your skin rash and looking for signs that are indicative of the disease, such as white spots in the mouth, fever, cough, and sore throat, doctors will confirm your measles.

There is no clear measles therapy. Viral infections, unlike bacterial infections, are not susceptible to antibiotics. In around two to three weeks, the infection and symptoms usually disappear. For people who may have been exposed to the virus, there are several interventions available. These can help avoid an infection or reduce the severity of it.

They Included:

Vaccine for measles, delivered within 72 hours of exposure.

The immune protein dose called immunoglobulin was administered within six days of exposure.

In order to help you recover, your doctor might prescribe the following:

• Fever-reducing acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil)

• Rest in order to help improve the immune system

• A plethora of fluids

• To relieve a cough and sore throat, a humidifier

• Supplements of Vitamin A