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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Photograph of measles rash Measles

Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Once quite common, measles can now be prevented with a vaccine. Signs and symptoms of measles include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash.

Also called rubeola, measles can be serious and even fatal for small children. While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills several hundred thousand people a year, most under the age of 5.

By 2000, the measles vaccine had practically eliminated measles in the United States. But there has been a recent resurgence of the disease, as more people have chosen not to vaccinate their children.

Symptoms
References
  1. Measles. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec14/ch193/ch193b.html#sec14-ch193-ch193b-2738. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  2. Overview of measles disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/overview.html. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  3. Fact sheet: Measles. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/index.html. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  4. Corrales-Medina VF, et al. Viral and rickettsial infections. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2011. 50th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=17235&searchStr=measles. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  5. Parker AA, et al. Measles (Rubeola). In: Brunette GW, et al. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/measles.aspx. Accessed April 16, 2011.
  6. Measles. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/vaccine-preventable-diseases/Pages/Measles.aspx. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  7. Bekhor D, et al. Prevention and treatment of measles. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 15, 2011.
  8. Update on measles outbreaks throughout the United States: CDC press briefing, August 21, 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/2008/t080808.htm. Accessed April 17, 2011.
  9. NHS immunisation statistics, England 2009-10. National Health Service. http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/003_Health_Lifestyles/immstats0910/Immunisations_Bulletin_2009-10.pdf. Accessed April 17, 2011.
  10. Measles. National Health Service. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Measles/Pages/Introduction.aspx. Accessed April 17, 2011.
  11. Retraction-Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet. 2010:375:445.
DS00331 June 1, 2011

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