More recently, doctors began to think that they would soon be able to defeat measles - a virus that, having one hundred percent susceptibility, caused epidemics for many hundreds of years and was the main cause of death in young children. The World He alth Organization has already been able to achieve a twenty-fold reduction in mortality from this disease and planned to completely eliminate the risks of infection in several subject regions by 2020.
But humanity is not looking for easy ways. The general fashion among young mothers to refuse vaccination, propaganda of the imaginary danger of this procedure and simply the irresponsible attitude of young parents to protect their children, the lack of funds for free vaccinations from the governments of many states - all this endangers the he alth and lives of babies and adults around the world.
What is measles
This disease has been known since ancient times. Already in the ninth century, detailedclinical description of the disease. But until the 20th century, no one knew whether measles was caused by a virus or a bacterium. D. Goldberger and A. Enderson in 1911 were able to prove that the disease is caused by a virus, and already in 1954 T. Peebles and D. Enders isolated an RNA virus that has a special shape of a sphere measuring 120230 nm and belongs to the paramyxovirus family.
How can you get infected
The measles virus is almost 100% contagious. A person who does not have immunity to this disease (who has not been vaccinated and has not previously been ill) has practically no chance of not becoming infected in case of contact with a sick person.
Infection from a sick person through the environment is transmitted to everyone around. The sick person, starting from the last days of the incubation period (two days before the onset of rashes) and the next four days, releases the measles virus during breathing, coughing, sneezing (by airborne droplets). Further, through the cells of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and respiratory tract, it enters the bloodstream and affects the lymph nodes, blood capillaries (white blood cells). The rash appears as a result of the death of capillary cells. Further, secondary immunodeficiency syndrome develops, and bacterial complications are also common.
It should be noted that the causative agent of the measles virus cannot survive long in the open air, objects and clothing. Although there are reported cases of infection through the ventilation system. It dies at room temperature after an average of two hours, and after thirty minutes completelyloses the ability to infect. The virus dies instantly when exposed to ultraviolet radiation and at high temperatures. Therefore, during the epidemic, there is no need to disinfect the premises.
Who can get sick and when
The main victims of measles are young children between the ages of two and five. I am also increasingly registering cases of illness in adolescents aged 15-17.
Adults get measles much less often. But most likely, this is due to the fact that in adulthood, most often there is already immunity from vaccination or from a previous disease.
It is impossible to get measles again. Reported cases can be regarded as a misdiagnosis of the first disease or a serious violation of the human immune system.
In Russia, the largest number of cases is observed in the spring-winter period, from late November to May, with a frequency of every two to four years.
Can a baby get sick
Newborns during the first three months of life have stable borrowed immunity from the mother, if she had been ill earlier. Children whose mothers did not get sick and were not vaccinated have no immunity, and they can get sick. It is also possible to infect an infant during childbirth during an illness of the mother.
Incubation period
Like most diseases, it has an incubation period in the body and measles. The virus does not manifest itself outwardly for 7-17 days. At this time, starting from the 3rd day of the incubation period, only through a detailed analysiscan be found in the spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes typical large multinucleated cells. Outwardly, the symptoms of the disease appear only after the virus multiplies in the lymph nodes and enters the bloodstream.
Measles virus: symptoms
- a sharp rise in temperature to 38-40.5 degrees;
- dry cough;
- photophobia;
- headache;
- hoarseness or hoarseness of voice;
- impaired consciousness, delirium;
- intestinal disorders;
- swelling of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract;
- conjunctivitis symptoms: swelling of the eyelids, redness around the eyes;
- the appearance of red spots in the mouth - in the sky, the inner surface of the cheeks;
- on the second day of illness, small white spots appear on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity;
- exanthema itself appears on the fourth or fifth day, its occurrence is characteristic on the face and neck, behind the ears, then on the body and on the folds of the arms, legs, fingers, palms and feet.
Measles rash is a special papules, surrounded by a spot and tending to merge (this is what distinguishes it from rubella, in which the rash does not tend to merge). After the fourth day of the rash, when the virus is defeated, the rash gradually disappears: it darkens, becomes pigmented, and begins to peel off. Hyperpigmented areas with a rash will remain for another 1-2 weeks.
Measles in children
One of the most common and most dangerous childhood diseases is measles. The virus most often affects children of preschool and primary school age.
BeforeSince Russia launched the production of vaccines and launched a free prevention program, on average, every fourth child died from this virus and its complications. Today, all relatively he althy children are vaccinated at one and six years of age (according to the national vaccination schedule). If the child is not vaccinated, the risk of getting sick when meeting with a carrier of the infection reaches one hundred percent. Vaccinated children either do not get sick at all, or endure the disease very easily.
The incubation period for an infected child can vary and averages 10 to 15 days. At this time, there are no symptoms of the disease, but two days before the onset of the clinical picture, the child will be contagious to others.
Most often, children get seriously ill. First, there are signs of a common acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI):
- temperature 38-40 degrees;
- severe dry cough;
- runny nose;
- weakness;
- lack of appetite;
- bad dream.
On the 3rd-5th day of illness, a rash begins to appear - small pink, merging spots. In children, it occurs quickly and spreads throughout the body. During the appearance of the rash, the temperature after a seemingly visible improvement may begin to rise again.
Measles is especially dangerous in children between two and five years old. The child's body, which has not yet grown stronger, slowly copes with the virus, and complications often arise due to the bacterial infection that has joined:
- otitis media;
- bronchial pneumonia;
- blindness;
- encephalitis;
- severe inflammation of the lymph nodes;
- laryngitis.
It is precisely because of these complications that it is so important to show the child to the doctor in time and control the course of the disease. Complications often begin to appear some time after the child is on the mend.
Measles in adults
Measles in adults is a rare disease. But if a person has already become infected, he cannot avoid problems. Adults after 20 years of age are seriously ill and for a long time. The acute period of the disease can last up to two weeks. Most often, the disease causes various complications, and there is also a high probability of a bacterial infection.
Types of complications in adults:
- bacterial pneumonia;
- measles pneumonia;
- otitis media;
- tracheobronchitis;
- disturbances in the work of the central nervous system;
- laryngitis;
- croup (stenosis of the larynx);
- hepatitis;
- lymphadenitis (inflammation of the lymph nodes);
- inflammation of the membranes of the brain - meningoencephalitis (40% of cases of the disease which ends in death).
So we understand that measles, a virus that is commonly believed to be dangerous only for children, can cause serious illness in adults and even lead to disability or death.
Measles in pregnancy
It is easy to guess that a disease that causes so many problems cannot easily occur in a pregnant woman. But the biggest experiences for the expectant mother cause the possibility of problems for the baby. Andnot in vain.
Measles the more dangerous for the fetus, the shorter the gestational age. In the first trimester, a sick woman with a probability of up to 20% will have a spontaneous miscarriage, or, even worse, the disease will lead to serious fetal malformations (oligophrenia, damage to the nervous system, etc.). Unfortunately, it is simply not possible to identify these malformations on early fetal ultrasounds and even at the first screening, and women are often offered an abortion.
If a pregnant woman falls ill after the sixteenth week, the prognosis is much more reassuring. At this time, the placenta is already mature enough to fully protect the fetus from the mother's illness, so the likelihood of problems in the unborn child is quite low.
The danger reappears if mommy gets sick just before the birth. Not only will she simply not have enough strength for the birth itself due to the virus, but the risks of infecting the child during passage through the birth canal are very high. Of course, doctors today have all the means to save the life of a baby: resuscitation and potent antibiotics. And most likely, the child will be able to cure. But why take such a risk if there is an opportunity to protect yourself and the child in advance? It is necessary for every woman to take an analysis for antibodies to the measles virus even before planning a pregnancy. After all, if you take care of your he alth now and get vaccinated on time, then there will simply be no chance of getting sick during pregnancy.
Diagnostic Methods
Most often, the diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical findings after the onset of the characteristic measles rash. But it is possible in the laboratory to make a diagnosis earlier (or confirm it) by determining where the measles virus is located. Microbiology makes it possible to isolate virus cells from the blood, mucus of the mouth and nose, urine on the first day of the disease (even before the rash appears) and even at the end of the incubation period. Under a special microscope, you can see the characteristic luminous, inclusions, giant oval cells.
Additionally, the patient may be prescribed:
- general analysis of urine and blood to rule out the addition of a bacterial infection and the development of complications;
- specific blood test for detection of antibodies (serological test for IgG to measles virus);
- chest x-ray or fluorography if measles pneumonia is suspected.
But in most cases, the diagnosis of the disease does not cause difficulties for the doctor and is performed without prescribing additional tests.
How to determine the level of IgG to the measles virus
After contact with a measles patient, each person begins to remember whether he himself was vaccinated or maybe he was ill in childhood. And if you overlooked, missed and did not instill your own child on time? How to find out? There are also risks that the vaccine was stored incorrectly, and then such a delicate virus could die before it was introduced into the body.
Now every laboratory can test for antibodies to the measles virus (IgG). This method allows one hundred percent to be sure whether a person has immunity to this disease.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for the measles virus. As withall viral infections, the doctor will provide symptomatic treatment that alleviates the condition and prevents the risks of complications. Usually prescribed:
- drugs that reduce fever and relieve general malaise, pain, fever ("Ibuprofen", "Paracetamol");
- aerosols against inflammation and gargling with chamomile, "Chlorhexidine";
- mucolytics and expectorants for dry cough;
- to relieve the symptoms of rhinitis and reduce the risk of developing otitis media - vasoconstrictor nasal drops (up to 5 days) and rinsing with saline;
- to relieve irritation and itching from a rash, rinse with Dilaxin;
- for the treatment of conjunctivitis - "Albucid" and "Levomycetin";
- to reduce the risk of blindness, patients are recommended to take vitamin A during the entire period of illness;
- prescribe antibiotics if pneumonia develops.
Attention! In the treatment of measles, in no case should Aspirin be used, especially in the treatment of children under 16 years of age. This can lead to the development of Reye's syndrome - hepatic encephalopathy.
Prevention
At the age of one year, all children are vaccinated free of charge against the three most dangerous childhood infections (measles, rubella, mumps). Revaccination against these diseases is carried out at the age of 5-6 years, before school. Doctors note that this vaccine is well tolerated by children, especially since it is given only to he althy children, so the risks of getting adverse reactions are minimal.
Everyone can easily verify that the vaccine has worked. To do this, you need to pass a special analysis some time after the injection. Antibodies to the measles virus are present if immunity has been developed after vaccination.
