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Signs and Symptoms)*----------------------------------------------------------
The
Symptoms of Measles Generally Appear about
Seven to 14 Days after a
Person is Infected.
Measles typically begins withhigh fever,
cough,
runny nose (coryza), and
red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).
Two or Three Days After Symptoms Begin,
Tiny White Spots (Koplik spots) May Appear Inside the Mouth.
Three to Five Days After Symptoms Begin,
*A rash breaks out.
*It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.
*Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots. The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.
*When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.
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Transmission of Measles)*--------------------------------------------------------
*Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Also, measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed. If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses, or mouths, they can become infected. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.
*Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears.
*Measles is a disease of humans; measles virus is not spread by any other animal species.
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Complications of Measles)*------------------------------------------------------
Complications*Measles can be a serious in all age groups. However, children younger than 5 years of age and adults older than 20 years of age are more likely to suffer from measles complications.
Common Complications*Common measles complications include ear infections and diarrhea.
*Ear infections occur in about one out of every 10 children with measles and can result in permanent hearing loss.
Diarrhea is reported in less than one out of 10 people with measles.
Severe Complications*Some people may suffer from severe complications, such as pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). They may need to be hospitalized and could die.
*As many as one out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
*About one child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) that can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.
*For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it.
*Measles may cause pregnant woman to give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.
*The Measles chapter of the Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (Pink Book) describes measles complications in more depth.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/meas.html#complications---------------------------------------------------------------*(
Long-Term Complications)*--------------------------------------------------------
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a very rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system that results from a measles virus infection acquired earlier in life. SSPE generally develops 7 to 10 years after a person has measles, even though the person seems to have fully recovered from the illness. Since measles was eliminated in 2000, SSPE is rarely reported in the United States.
Among people who contracted measles during the resurgence in the United States in 1989 to 1991, 4 to 11 out of every 100,000 were estimated to be at risk for developing SSPE. The risk of developing SSPE may be higher for a person who gets measles before they are two years of age. For more information, see Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE): MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001419.htm-------------------------------------------------*(
Top 4 Things Parents Need to Know about Measles)*------------------------------------------
You may be hearing a lot about measles lately. And all of this news on TV, social media, Internet, newspapers and magazines may leave you wondering what you as a parent really need to know about this disease. CDC has put together a list of the most important facts about measles for parents like you.
{1}
Measles can be serious.
Some people think of measles as just a little rash and fever that clears up in a few days, but measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5 years of age. There is no way to tell in advance the severity of the symptoms your child will experience.
* About 1 in 4 people in the U.S. who get measles will be hospitalized
* 1 out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling, which could lead to brain damage
* 1 or 2 out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care
Some of the more common measles symptoms include:
* Fever
* Rash
* Runny nose
* Red eyes
{2}
Measles is very contagious.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 9 out of 10 people around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected. Your child can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left. An infected person can spread measles to others even before knowing he/she has the disease—from four days before developing the measles rash through four days afterward.
{3}
Your child can still get measles in United States.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 thanks to a highly effective vaccination program. Eliminated means that the disease is no longer constantly present in this country. However, measles is still common in many parts of the world, including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. Worldwide, 19 cases of measles per 1 million persons are reported each year and 89,780 people, mostly children, die from the disease. Even if your family does not travel internationally, you could come into contact with measles anywhere in your community. Every year, measles is brought into the United States by unvaccinated travelers (Americans or foreign visitors) who get measles while they are in other countries. Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk.
{4}
You have the power to protect your child against measles with a safe and effective vaccine.
The best protection against measles is measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles. Your child needs two doses of MMR vaccine for best protection:
* The first dose at 12 through 15 months of age
* The second dose 4 through 6 years of age
If your family is traveling overseas, the vaccine recommendations are a little different:
* If your baby is 6 through 11 months old, he or she should receive 1 dose of MMR vaccine before leaving.
* If your child is 12 months of age or older, he or she will need 2 doses of MMR vaccine
(separated by at least 28 days) before departure.
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Measles Vaccination)*-----------------------------------------------------------
Measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Measles starts with fever. Soon after, it causes a cough, runny nose, and red eyes. Then a rash of tiny, red spots breaks out. It starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.
Measles can be prevented with MMR vaccine. The vaccine protects against three diseases: measles, mumps, and rubella. CDC recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination.
* The MMR vaccine is very safe and effective.
*
Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.
* Children may also get MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox).
*
This vaccine is only licensed for use in children who are 12 months through 12 years of age.
Before the measles vaccination program started in 1963, an estimated 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the United States. Of these, approximately 500,000 cases were reported each year to CDC; of these, 400 to 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 developed encephalitis (brain swelling) from measles. Since then, widespread use of measles vaccine has led to a greater than 99% reduction in measles cases compared with the pre-vaccine era. However, measles is still common in other countries. Unvaccinated people continue to get measles while abroad and bring the disease into the United States and spread it to others.
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Measles Outbreaks)*-----------------------------------------------------------
In a given year, more measles cases can occur for any of the following reasons:
* an increase in the number of travelers who get measles abroad and bring it into the U.S., and/or
* further spread of measles in U.S. communities with pockets of unvaccinated people.
Reasons for an increase in cases some years:
2018: The U.S. experienced 17 outbreaks in 2018. Three outbreaks in New York State, New York City, and New Jersey, respectively, contributed to most of the cases. Cases in those states occurred primarily among unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities. These outbreaks were associated with travelers who brought measles back from Israel, where a large outbreak is occurring. Eighty-two people brought measles to the U.S. from other countries in 2018. This is the greatest number of imported cases since measles was eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.
2017: A 75-case outbreak was reported in Minnesota in a Somali-American community with poor vaccination coverage.
2015: The United States experienced a large (147 cases), multi-state measles outbreak linked to an amusement park in California. The outbreak likely started from a traveler who became infected overseas with measles, then visited the amusement park while infectious; however, no source was identified. Analysis by CDC scientists showed that the measles virus type in this outbreak (B3) was identical to the virus type that caused the large measles outbreak in the Philippines in 2014.
2014: The U.S. experienced 23 measles outbreaks in 2014, including one large outbreak of 383 cases, occurring primarily among unvaccinated Amish communities in Ohio. Many of the cases in the U.S. in 2014 were associated with cases brought in from the Philippines, which experienced a large measles outbreak.
2013: The U.S. experienced 11 outbreaks in 2013, three of which had more than 20 cases, including an outbreak with 58 cases. For more information see Measles — United States, January 1-August 24, 2013.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6236a2.htm2011: In 2011, more than 30 countries in the WHO European Region reported an increase in measles, and France was experiencing a large outbreak. These led to a large number of importations (80) that year. Most of the cases that were brought to the U.S. in 2011 came from France. For more information see Measles — United States, January-May 20, 2011.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6020a7.htm2008: The increase in cases in 2008 was the result of spread in communities with groups of unvaccinated people. The U.S. experienced several outbreaks in 2008 including three large outbreaks. For more information see Update: Measles — United States, January–July 2008.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5733a1.htmSee also: The Surveillance Manual chapter on measles that describes case investigation, outbreak investigation, and outbreak control for additional information.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt07-measles.html------------------------------------------------------------------*(
Spread of Measles)*-------------------------------------------------------------
* The majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated.
* Measles is still common in many parts of the world including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa.
* Travelers with measles continue to bring the disease into the U.S.
* Measles can spread when it reaches a community in the U.S. where groups of people are unvaccinated.
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Measles Cases in 2019)*---------------------------------------------------------
*
From January 1 to April 11, 2019, 555** individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 20 states.
* This is the second-greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since measles was eliminated in 2000.
The states that have reported cases to CDC are A
rizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.----------------------------------------------------------------*(
Number of Measels Cases)*-------------------------------------------------------
2010--> 63
2011--> 220
2012--> 55
2013--> 187
2014--> 667
2015--> 188
2016--> 86
2017--> 120
2018--> 327 *
2019--> 555 so far **
*Cases as of December 29, 2018. Case count is preliminary and subject to change.
**Cases as of April 11, 2019. Case count is preliminary and subject to change. Data are updated every Monday on the CDC Website.
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Measles Outbreaks Reported to CDC)*-------------------------------------------------
Measles outbreaks (defined as 3 or more cases) are currently ongoing in 2019 in the following jurisdictions:
New York State, Rockland Countyhttp://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/measles-information/New York Cityhttps://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/measles.pageWashingtonhttps://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/IllnessandDisease/Measles/MeaslesOutbreakNew Jerseyhttps://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/topics/measles.shtmlCalifornia, Butte Countyhttps://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/measles.aspxMichiganhttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-73971_4911_4914_68359-492981--,00.htmlThese outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel, Ukraine, and the Philippines, where large measles outbreaks are occurring.
Make sure you are vaccinated against measles before traveling internationally.
