O measles is viral disease which causes, among other symptoms, fever high and red spots all over the body. It is transmitted from one person to another through the secretions eliminated by the patient when talking, coughing and sneezing. The form of prevention is vaccination. Measles is a diseaseserious that can even lead a person to death, so the key is that there is prevention.
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measles transmission
Measles is transmitted by contact with secretion eliminated by the patient when breathing, coughing, sneezing or speaking. The period of greatest transmission of this disease is between two days before and two days after the appearance of spots on the patient's body.
measles virus
The causative agent of measles is a virusthat belongs to familyParamyxoviridaeand genderMorbilliviruses.
Measles is a disease caused by a virus.
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Measles symptoms
The symptoms of measles begin to appear about ten days after being infected by the disease. The main clinical manifestations are High fever – usually above 38.5°C –, cough, runny or stuffy nose, conjunctivitis, malaise, headache, emergence of red spots by the body and white spots in the mucous membranes (Koplik's sign). It is noteworthy that the red spots initially appear on the face and in the region behind the ears and, later, spread throughout the body.
O Ministry of Health divide the symptoms into threeperiods: the period of infection, the period of remission and the toxemic period. At the time courseininfection, appear the disease symptoms, such as fever, cough and runny nose. Between the second and fourth day, spots appear on the body. If the fever remains for more than three days after the appearance of these spots, it is good to be aware, as it may be a sign of a complication.
At the time courseinremission, what is observed is that disease symptoms decrease. In addition, there is a darkening of the skin rashes and the appearance, in some people, of fine scaling. We still have the time coursetoxic, which is the moment when the patient presents a great impairment of your body's resistance, which favors viral or bacterial superinfection.
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Is measles serious?
It is, yes, a serious disease, as it can trigger complicationssignificant, such as encephalitis and pneumonia. These complications can cause permanent sequelae, such as growth retardation, deafness and blindness. It is also important to highlight that measles can kill, in addition to being a common cause of death in children.
According to the Ministry of Health, 1 to 3 in every 1,000 sick children can die from complications of measles. |
measles treatment
Like many diseases caused by viruses, measles does not have a specific treatment. Generally the medications administered to the patient aim to to controlyousymptomsunpleasant illness, such as fever, or treating any of the complications. For children with measles, the World Health Organization recommends that doses ofVitamin THE, this vitamin being an important way to prevent severe forms of the disease from appearing.
Prevention
The only way to prevent measles is vaccination.
To prevent measles, it is essential that the person is vaccinated against this disease. In our country, it is recommended that the child take a dose of triple viral vaccine on completing 12 months and later take another dose, but tetra viral, at 15 months of age. THE vaccine MMR prevents measles, mumps and rubella. The tetraviral vaccine protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.
It is worth noting that adults who did not receive the vaccine at the correct time can seek health centers for the updateinyourcardinvaccination. Those who received the two doses of the vaccine do not need to be vaccinated again in adulthood, but those who received only one dose must complete the vaccination schedule. In case of doubt whether or not you received the vaccine, look for a health unit.
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Does measles still exist in Brazil?
The measles had already been eliminated the entire Brazilian territory. This great feat led Brazil to receive, in 2016, the measles elimination certificate by the Pan American Health Organization. Unfortunately, this certificate was lost after the outbreak started in 2018.
It is worth noting that the disease return is very related to the reduction in vaccination coverage. Our country has a large immunization program, however, in recent years, there has been a drop in the number of people receiving vaccines. Without proper vaccination, we are subject to outbreaks and the return of diseases that had already been eliminated.
Therefore, the importance of keeping your vaccination card updated is clear. If you are in doubt whether any vaccine was not taken, just look for a health facility.
