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Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

The cause of measles is a very contagious virus, which lives in the mucus in the nose and throat of an infected child or adult. That child or adult is contagious from four days before the rash appears to four days after.

When someone with measles coughs, sneezes or talks, infected droplets spray into the air, where other people can inhale them. The infected droplets may also land on a surface, where they remain active and contagious for several hours. You can contract the virus by putting your fingers in your mouth or nose or rubbing your eyes after touching the infected surface.

Risk factors Symptoms

  • See Also

    • Hand Scheduled
    Section Focus
  • Laryngitis

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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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