Measles is an acute (short and sudden onset) communicable disease. It starts as mild fever, cough and running nose. There will be conjunctivitis (reddening of the eyes). If you examine the inside of mouth, you can find characteristic greyish white spots on a red base on the mucous membrane of the mouth (a membrane, secreting mucus, lining the mouth), A day or two later typical skin rash (eruptions on the skin) which is dusky red in colour appears i.e. third to seventh day after the onset of fever. The rash appears first on the face and spreads to the body and generally lasts for 4-5 days. Measles is rather severe among children who are malnourished.
What are the complications of measles ?
Measles is an important public health problem because it leaves the children in a debilitated condition (very weak). Common complication after an attack of measles is severe respiratory infection leading to broncho-pneumonia (infection of the lungs) which may end in death. One of the commonest complications is severe diarrhoea which quite often leads to malnutrition. Measles and nutritional status of the child are very closely associated. If you carefully question the mothers of the children suffering from severe forms of malnutrition, always, they would tell you that the children suffering from severe forms of malnutrition, almost always, they would tell you that the children had measles in the recent past Because of loss of appetite and severe diarrhoea, the children recovering from the measles often develop severe forms of malnutrition. You might recall reading about the effect of measles on nutritional status of children.
Middle ear infection, mental retardation can also occur as complications after an attack of measles. Measles is known to contribute to the damage of the cornea (black portion of the eye) leading to blindness. Measles also aggravates Vitamin A deficiency in children and leads to blindness.
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