Measles also known as rubeola is a viral infection. It is not just a rash, it can be dangerous for young children and babies. It starts with fever, running nose, cough and swollen red weepy eye. A red rash can just appears on a forehead and before you know it spreads outward over the rest of the body. Unless complication occur, the symptoms usually disappear in one week. This complications may be due to Secondary infections caused by bacterial pathogens. Such as Staphylococci aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Streptococcus progeny and Haemophilius influenza, these can cause permanent brain damage due to complication, can also cause mental retardation, deafness and epilepsy, commonly results from measles encephalitis. Measles can cause miscarriage if it’s occur during pregnancy, it can also cause premature labor and low birth weight.

Causative Agent

Measles is caused by a pleomorphic, medium sized, single stranded, native sense RNA virus of the paramyxovirus family.

Prevention and Treatment

Measles can be prevented by injecting a live attenuated rubeola virus Vaccine. This Vaccine usually given together with mumps and rubeola Vaccine (MMR) to children at the age of 9 to 12 months. It was due to the fact that some Vaccine fail infant because of immunity development, was the reason why the vaccine administration was raised to months, at this age, immune system is more responsive and there is no danger that maternal parent transfer antibody with interfere with the vaccine. No antiviral treatment exists for rubeola at present.