Measles 101
This highly contagious illness is caused by a virus that spreads through the air and can linger for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves a space.
What is measles?
The “three C’s” of the measles prodrome are cough, coryza, and this type of eye irritation.
What is conjunctivitis?
Measles spreads by this route and can remain suspended in the air or on surfaces for up to 2 hours.
What is airborne transmission?
This combination vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
What is the MMR vaccine?
This term refers to keeping someone who is infected and infectious away from others.
What is isolation?
Someone with measles is infectious for this timeframe relative to the rash.
What is 4 days before rash onset through 4 days after?
These tiny, bluish‑white spots inside the mouth appear 2–3 days into the prodrome and are considered clinically characteristic of measles.
What are Koplik spots?
If one person has measles, about this proportion of susceptible people around them will become infected.
What is 9 out of 10 (90%)?
The first routine dose of MMR is given at 12–15 months, and the second dose (97% effective) is given at this age range.
What is 4–6 years old?
This term refers to keeping someone who was exposed to measles but is not yet symptomatic separated from others.
What is quarantine?
A case definition uses a set of uniform criteria to classify cases, helping maintain this across public health systems.
What is consistency?
The red blotchy measles rash spreads in this pattern.
What is starts at the hairline or face and moves down the trunk, arms and legs ?
The measles infectious period includes the 4 days before rash onset and the 4 days after. The day the rash appears is counted as this.
What is day 0?
Infants aged 6–11 months traveling internationally can receive this early MMR dose.
What is “dose 0”?
People without evidence of immunity who are exposed to measles should quarantine at home for this many days.
What is 21 days?
Measles has an R₀ (R‑naught) in this numerical range, making it one of the most contagious diseases in the world.
What is 12–18?
To meet the clinical description for measles, a rash must be maculopapular and last at least this many days.
What is 3 days?
Serology for measles typically looks for this antibody in the blood to provide presumptive evidence of infection.
What is IgM?
To qualify as presumptive evidence of immunity, a person can show written documentation of vaccination, lab evidence of immunity, lab confirmation of disease, or birth before this year.
What is 1957?
Individuals at high risk may talk with their healthcare provider about this passive immunization within 6 days of exposure.
What is immunoglobulin (IG)?
Herd immunity for measles requires about this percentage of the population to be immune.
What is 95%?
The measles prodrome typically appears 10–12 days after exposure and lasts 2–4 days. During the rash phase, fever can spike to at least this temperature.
What is 104°F?
Real-time RT‑PCR tests for measles are most successful when NP/OP specimens are collected within this timeframe after rash onset.
What is the first 3 days (but can work up to 10–14 days)?
*SPHL will test PCR samples 4 – 10 days post rash onset, but a urine sample is required along with the NP/OP swab.
MMR vaccine uptake has declined in parts of Missouri; Greene County’s current kindergarten MMR coverage is approximately this percentage.
What is 87%?
A confirmed measles case requires laboratory evidence. One method of confirmation is detecting this through real‑time RT‑PCR testing.
What is measles RNA?