Prevention and Management of Measles

Prevention/control measures for measles are discussed below: 

Prevention  of measles through vaccination : Vaccination is the simplest and best method to prevent measles. Normally all children at 12 months of age or as soon thereafter as possible are given measles immunisation. A single injection protects 95 per cent of susceptible children from the disease for over 12 years and probably for life. After vaccination majority  have minimal infection with minimal symptoms such as fevers, cough, running nose and even rash. A single dose of 0.5 ml-of reconstituted freeze-dried vaccine  is given intramuscularly (in  the muscle). Normally, immunity develops 11 to 12 days after vaccination. 

Next, a word about how to treat measles ? 

Management of Measles : There is no specific treatment for measles. Antipyretics i.e. medicines to control fever, bed rest and adequate fluid intake are the basic requirements. The important aspect in management is control of secondary bacterial infection by using suitable antibiotics. Complications such as pneumonia and middle ear infections require appropriate treatment with antibiotics. The nutritional status of the child must be maintained properly.  Children who are breast-fed and unable to suck due to soreness of mouth may be fed breast milk with a spoon after expression of the same from the mothers breast. For those children who are not breast-fed, soft diets in the form of pomdges can be given. Children suffering from measles lose considerable weight and during  the recovery period weight gain is slow. Children recovering from measles should be given adequate diet to stimulate faster weight gain.  The child should be fed more frequently i.e. 5-6 times a day. The diet should include cereals like rice or wheat, pulses (dal) and green vegetables. The child should also be given atleast one glass of milk every day. The diet should be cooked soft and preferably be fed by the  mother or elder member. Other dietary considerations for management of measles discussed in unit 20, block 5 of course 1 are applicable here as well. Go through those considerations carefully.