Dr. Michael Colli, Chief Medical Officer at Keystone Health and Pediatrician at Keystone Pediatrics, explains what you should know about measles.
What is measles?
- Measles is a viral illness contracted through respiratory secretions and is highly contagious.
- 4 phases of measles:
Incubation Phase – This includes from the time of transmission to the development of symptoms and usually lasts around 10 days.
Prodrome Phase-This phase lasts anywhere from 2 to 8 days and is associated with fever, decreased appetite, fatigue, conjunctivitis (red, watery eyes), coryza (runny nose), and cough. Some patients develop Koplik spots (whitish, bluish spots that appear inside the mouth.)
Exanthem Phase– Rash develops starting on the face and spreads down the body and can become quite severe, lasting 6-7 days. Fevers can increase to over 104 during this phase and cough can also become more severe.
Recovery Phase– Rash and cough fade gradually. This phase can last 2 weeks.
When should you be concerned?
You should become concerned if you have had a known direct exposure to someone with measles, or if you develop the characteristic rash and other symptoms.
Prevention
- We know that 90% of those who develop measles are unvaccinated- the vaccine works.
- 95% of patients who are properly vaccinated, develop immunity to measles for their lifetime.
- The vaccine is most effective in patients 12 months or older, which is why health professionals typically don’t vaccinate children younger than 1 year. However, if there has been a known confirmed exposure to measles, the Department of Health may recommend vaccinating patients as young as 6 months.
- If you have been vaccinated, there is little reason to worry- vaccination works. If your child is over the age of 1 year and has not yet been vaccinated, we encourage you to make an appointment to have them vaccinated.
If you think you have measles, call your doctor first before visiting the office, emergency room or Urgent Care. We want to make sure that we have the proper precautions in place at our office to protect our patients.
