Measles are an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus. This virus causes fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash. The disease spreads through body fluids and direct contact, which includes coughing, nasal discharge, due to staying in the same room at times. This is one of the most common pass-on diseases; therefore, people who unknowingly meet other people get afflicted with this disease.

It is said that ninety percent of the people who share living places with an infected person will be infected if they have not been immunised for the disease. The average incubation period for the disease is two weeks, and a person can pass-on the disease from 2-5 days before the rashes show up to about two to five days after it disappears.

The most common symptoms of the disease include the 4-day fever, cough, runny nose as well as the red eyes. The rash begins a few days after the fever, and starting from the head encircles the whole body. It also causes itching, and over the time the rash changes colour from red to dark brown before disappearing. This is the most visible symptom of the disease.

There are many problems that can occur if you have measles. These complications are very common and can range from mild to more serious ones. For example, it is common to have serious diarrhoea. However, more dangerous effects include getting pneumonia and encephalitis to corneal scarring. These all occur if the patient is not taken care of properly and medical care is not administered immediately.

The complications are more common among adults who catch measles rather than children. Also, it is extremely important to get every child immunised at the time of birth.

There is a fatality rate of three deaths per thousand cases of measles in developed countries. In underdeveloped countries, this rate is much higher with about twenty eight deaths per hundred, or even higher. This is because of higher malnutrition, poor health care services, and lack of immunisations in these countries.

Most children in developed countries are immunised by the time they are eighteen months old. This is a component of three-part MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. It is a cocktail immunisation and helps to build immunity to all three diseases.

It is extremely important that anyone with measles should be taken to the hospital immediately so they can be taken care of and the symptoms can be alleviated. While the disease will only disappear after the two weeks have passed, by taking care of the patient it is possible to reduce the chances of any complications taking place and someone getting seriously ill.

All adults who are not vaccinated should get their vaccinations immediately so as to avoid getting measles. If you know someone who has measles, you should avoid them even if you do have the vaccination, since there are chances, though negligible, you can still catch the virus in case you are not the properly immunised.

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