What is Measles?

What is Measles? It is also called rubeola. The mortality of measles varies greatly in different parts of the world. In India, it is a major cause of morbidity and a significant contributor to childhood mortality.

It is 100 to 400 times more likely to cause death in a preschool child of a developing country than it is in the US and Europe. In developing countries, case fatality rates range from 2 to 15 percent as compared to less than 0.2 per 10,000 notified cases in developed countries.

Before the vaccine became available in the 1960s, measles has killed about 7 to 8 million children’s a year and caused an estimated of about 135 million cases a year worldwide. Today, it still kills about one million children of the estimated 30 million who get measles.

Thus this disease remains a number one killer among vaccine-preventable diseases of childhood, taking its toll primarily among underfed kids whose natural defenses are weakened by different infections

It is an acute disease and is a highly infectious disease of childhood which is caused by a specific virus of the group myxoviruses. It is clinically characterized by the presence of fever and catarrhal symptoms of the upper respiratory tract in the form of coryza, cough, and presence of a typical rash.

Causes for suffering from the Measles

Agent:- Measles is caused by an RNA paramyxovirus. There is only one serotype of this virus. This virus cannot survive outside the human body for any length of time but retains infectivity when stored at sub-zero temperature.

Starting of infection:- Those people who are suffering from the measles are the only source from where infection can start. Measles carriers (those who carry measles virus in themselves and spread the virus) are not present. In some evidence it was shown that there were some subclinical cases of measles are present.

Infective Material:- Secretions of the nose, throat and respiratory tract of a case of measles during the prodromal period and the early stages of the rash can spread more infection.

Transmission of disease:- During its first stage i.e., its prodromal period, measles is highly infectious for its direct or indirect transmission especially when the measles eruption is about to start appearing.

With the decline of the eruption phase, the transmission period of this disease also declines, which means at that time it is not highly infectious as in the prodromal period.

Time of starting and declining of rashes that is 4 days before and 5 days after the appearance of the eruption is a highly risk period of transmission of disease. So to prevent its transmission isolation of the patient was done for about one week prior starting of the rash.

Secondary attack rate:- There is only one antigenic type of measles virus. Once the Infection appears it covers lifelong immunity. Most supposed secondary attacks represent errors in designation either in the initial or second malady.

Who is susceptible?

Age:- Measles affect virtually everyone in infancy or childhood- between 6 months and 3 years of age in developing countries because of poor environmental conditions. While children who are over the age of 5 years are affected in developed countries.

Immunity:- No age is immune if there was no previous immunity. One attack of measles generally confers life-long immunity. Second attacks are rare.

Nutrition:- Nutrition plays an important role as measles appeared in a malnourished child is having more risk of health and mortality rate is even more which carries about 400 times higher than those children who are well-nourished and suffered from measles.

The most common cause for their high risk of health is due to poor cell-mediated immunity response of their body and due to malnutrition.

It was seen that severely malnourished children have shown to excrete virus for a longer period than better-nourished children.

Immune compromised patients like HIV or AIDS, immune-suppressive patients, those patients in which organ or stem cell transplant has done and those patients who are under steroid therapy are more at the high risk for measles.

Role of Environment in the spread of the virus

Though the virus can spread in all the seasons in winters this disease is more likely to spread. Gathering of the people in the house which makes the virus to get transfer very easily.

In India viruses usually spread between January to April month that is during winters and in early spring.

So it can be concluded that it can be easy spreads where the population density is high.

What is Measles?

Causes for suffering from the Measles

Who is susceptible?

Role of Environment in the spread of the virus

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