Introduction
This presentation aims to discuss measles, an airborne infectious disease known as a highly contagious condition. It means that the chosen disease can be easily spread from one person to other individuals within a short period. People might call it coughing, hard, red measles, morbilli, or rubeola.
It is important not to confuse rubeola with rubella, which is German measles: similar names but somewhat different viruses provoke them. Measles is extremely dangerous for children, provoking severe complications and even death. However, today, measles may be prevented with the help of vaccination. Therefore, all doctors, including pediatricians, underline the importance of vaccination from childhood to predict the virus’s progress and protect the population.
Causative Organism
First, paying much attention to the causative organism related to measles is necessary. This condition is caused by a virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, Morbillivirus genus, and Measles Virus species. The scientific name of the pathogen is rubeola or measles morbillivirus.
Therefore, scientifically, it is correct to say that measles is caused by a single-stranded morbillivirus in the paramyxovirus family. The ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus has two main glycoproteins: the hemagglutinin or H protein and the fusion protein or F protein. People remain the only natural hosts of the virus, and communication with a carrier can be dangerous for people with weak immune systems.
Mode of Acquisition
Second, the evaluation of measles’s mode of acquisition is required to understand how the virus can be transmitted and what general precautionary methods are available to unprotected people. Two primary forms of virus transmission are through the air and direct contact. As it has already been stated, measles is a highly contagious disease, and it can be spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, and talks.
The virus sprays into the air and easily reaches another person’s nose or mouth. Another acquisition mode is direct contact when people touch the same surface, for example, when an infected individual shares the same subjects like plates, glasses, or other utensils. Infectious droplets can live for at least two hours, enough to share the infection. Therefore, more than 90% of people without vaccination may be infected.
Site of Infection
The next step in analyzing measles is discussing the site of infection. The virus usually starts by affecting the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract, including such body parts as the nose, mouth, and throat. Then, it progresses with the local tissue in the lower respiratory tract, namely the trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Sometimes, the virus spreads to the skin and conjunctiva, which provokes additional symptoms and signs of the infection and requires an incubation period of about two weeks.
Symptoms of the Disease
After the incubation period (about two weeks), the first symptoms usually occur gradually, starting with cold-like symptoms like a runny nose, cough, sneezing, and sore throat. During the next several days, high temperature is observed and can reach 40 104° Fahrenheit, especially in young children. Some patients experience eye problems (redness and watering), leading to conjunctivitis. Two to three days after the first symptoms, tiny white spots, also known as Koplik spots, appear in the mouth. A final symptom of measles is a rash on the face (hairline) that spreads downward to other body parts (neck, arms, legs, and feet). In most cases, the rash takes the form of small raised bumps that join and become itchy for some patients.
Treatment
The main peculiarity of measles is the absence of a specific cure; thus, patients must consider self-care the only option. Treatment goals include symptom relief, complications prevention, and contact avoidance. Antipyretics (ibuprofen or paracetamol) are prescribed to deal with fever and other cold-like symptoms. Antibiotics are not effective for measles, but they help stabilize the condition.
Vitamin A and plenty of fluids help prevent serious infection-related complications, especially in children. Finally, people with measles should avoid contact and rest in darkened rooms to reduce eye discomfort. The main idea is to create conditions where people can feel comfortable but remain isolated to predict the transmission of the disease.
Outcomes If Left Untreated
Another critical aspect of measles is patient education, which explains the outcomes that can be observed if the condition is left untreated or ignored. Minor complications like vomiting and diarrhea are usually observed in adults. Although ear or eye infections are rare, they can never be ignored, and regular monitoring is required.
If patients do not manage fever, such serious complications as pneumonia and encephalitis (brain swelling) are possible. High fever may also provoke febrile seizures (in pediatric patients) and loss of consciousness. It is also essential to understand that any disease or minor complication can be fatal for people, and death is a serious, but rare, outcome of measles.
Conclusion
Millions of people know measles as a severe infectious disease and try to follow preventive recommendations, meaning age-based vaccination. It does not take much time for a healthy person to be infected due to direct contact with another individual with the disease. The first symptoms appear gradually after the next 14 days of the incubation period.
There is no cure for measles, and people must care for themselves, manage symptoms, and predict complications. Although most measles-related complications are not serious, there are cases when people die because of measles. Therefore, the main rule is to avoid direct contact and follow doctors’ recommendations.