Measles is caused by virus Rubeola belonging to the Paramyxovirus family; hence, also known as ‘Rubeola’. While most of the people believe that measles is a childhood disease, we are here to bust this myth. Measles can be caused at any age. This disease, however, has an effective vaccine against it but can become severe or even fatal in some cases. Measles is an extremely contagious skin disease that has the ability to become an epidemic. But, effective vaccines would work fine in containing the disease in a shorter time.
Measles is likely to go on its own within 7-10 days, but it is better to get vaccinated for it. Once a person suffers measles, he/she will gain immunity against it for the rest of their lives and won’t encounter the disease for the second time.
The common symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, dry cough, watery eyes, conjunctivitis, sore throat, and a couple more. These symptoms will show up after about 9-10 days since the virus attacked. Measles is a common disease that can be treated easily, but people with underlying conditions are susceptible to complications.
While measles is a disease that can contract at any age, people with the weaker immune system should get vaccinated. Also, pregnant women are highly vulnerable to suffer a miscarriage, low birth weight, or early delivery if contract measles. So, it is better for everyone to check their vaccination status and get it done beforehand because ‘Prevention is better than cure’. The infographic below shows a timeline of the measles outbreak in different countries over the past few years.
