MEASLES
A Research Paper
Presented to the
Biology Department
Adventist University of the Philippines
In Partial fulfillment
Of the Requirements of the Course
Microbiology and Parasitology Lecture
Milcah Millenn B. Bartolome
October 18, 2019
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Measles was described by Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi (860-932) or Rhazes – a Persian
philosopher and physician, in the 10th century A.D. as a disease that is “more dreaded than
smallpox”. Razes published a book entitled “The Book of Smallpox and Measles”
In the 9th century, a Persian doctor published one of the first written accounts of
measles disease.
Francis Home, a Scottish physician, demonstrated in 1757 that measles is caused by
an infectious agent in the blood of patients.
In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring
U.S. healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases. In the first
decade of reporting, an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were reported each
year.
In the decade before 1963 when a vaccine became available, nearly all children got
measles by the time they were 15 years of age. It is estimated 3 to 4 million people in
the United States were infected each year. Also each year, among reported cases, an
estimated 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 suffered
encephalitis (swelling of the brain) from measles
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES
Measles is caused by the measles virus, a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped
RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus within the family Paramyxoviridae.
The virus is highly contagious and is spread by coughing and sneezing via close personal
contact or direct contact with secretions. It can live for up to two hours in that airspace
or nearby surfaces. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of nearby
non-immune people will also become infected. Humans are the only natural hosts of the
virus, and no other animal reservoirs are known to exist.
Risk factors for measles virus infection include immunodeficiency caused by HIV or
AIDS, immunosuppression following receipt of an organ or a stem cell transplant,
alkylating agents, or corticosteroid therapy, regardless of immunization status; travel to
areas where measles commonly occurs or contact with travelers from such an area; and
the loss of passive, inherited antibodies before the age of routine immunization.
Symptoms typically begin 10–14 days after exposure. The classic symptoms include a
four-day fever (the 4 D's) and the three C's—cough, coryza (head cold, fever, sneezing),
and conjunctivitis (red eyes)—along with a maculopapular rash.[22] Fever is common
and typically lasts for about one week; the fever seen with measles is often as high as 40
°C (104 °F).
Koplik's spots seen inside the mouth are diagnostic for measles but are temporary and
therefore rarely seen. Koplik spots are small white spots that are commonly seen on the
inside of the cheeks opposite the molars. They appear as "grains of salt on a reddish
background." Recognizing these spots before a person reaches their maximum
infectiousness can help reduce the spread of the disease.
The characteristic measles rash is classically described as a generalized red
maculopapular rash that begins several days after the fever starts. It starts on the back
of the ears and, after a few hours, spreads to the head and neck before spreading to
cover most of the body, often causing itching. The measles rash appears two to four
days after the initial symptoms and lasts for up to eight days. The rash is said to
"stain", changing color from red to dark brown, before disappearing. Overall, measles
usually resolves after about three weeks.
DIAGNOSIS
MANAGEMENT
PROGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
.
EPIDIOMOLOGY AND PREVENTION
REFERENCES
