MEASLES:

Learn about other diseases Malaria Measles Cholera Polio Tuberculosis Ebola HIV/AIDS Rare Diseases Guinea Worm Disease Monkey Pox Schistosomiasis Giardiasis Onchocerciasis / River Blindness

Measles is a viral infection. A person who has had measles will never get the disease again. It usually affects children under the age of five, which have the highest fatality rates.

Cause: The usual method of transmission is through coughing or sneezing. The virus that causes measles is contained in tiny droplets of moisture, released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A person who inhales those droplets will almost certainly develop measles.

Symptoms: The first signs of measles are fever, running nose, red eyes and cough. Then, a rash appears in the mouth, consisting of tiny white dots on a reddish bump. Finally a red, sore, swollen throat accompanies the rash.

New cases: 45 million cases in 2005

Deaths: 600,000 deaths in children

Sources

UCLA School of Public Health on Infectious Diseases

General FAQs on Measles

Official website for Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Read more about communicable diseases in the current Monday Developments issue!