Type of virus: single-stranded negative sense RNA virus
Transmission: respiratory route
Reservoir: humans
Pathogenicity: begins in respiratory tract; incubation 10 to 12 days; common cold symptoms to macular rash (small raised spots) beginning on face and spreading to extremities and trunk; characteristic "Koplik Spots" (tiny red patches with central white specks) occur in the oral cavity. Extremely dangerous in infants and the elderly - complications include: middle ear infections, pneumonia, ecephalitis (1:1000), brain damage, death (1:3000).
Treatment: Vaccine marketed in 1963; administered at 15 months; measles cases declined (vaccine is 95% effective) but now are slowly creeping upward due to low immunization rates in inner cities.
Other: Unexpected result of the vaccine is an increase in cases in children under 1 year of age. Before the vaccine the children were protected by their mother's antibodies but now that we have reached a generation where mothers have gained their immunity through vaccination we are finding that the immunity passed on to the childfren is not as strong. Unfortunately, this puts children at risk to complications.
Rubeola (Measles)
