The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-03-30
The PEOPLES HEALTH
By Samuel g. Pavlo, MD.
MEASLES

Measles is the most prevalent OF all
children's diseases, and because of
that, few people reach adult life with
out contracting it. Although this
disease is known practically to every
body, review of some characteristic
points may be of interest and bene-
fit.
Measles, is very infectious disease
its degree of contagion is so severe
that it breaks out in epidemics. A
whole neighborhood or school may
become i'll with measles after a few
cases have been detected. The germ
causing measles has not been discov-
cred as yet, although the injection of
monkeys with the blood or nasal and
throat secretions from measle patients
has made them sick with the disease.
Measles is not transferred through
third person, and people who visit
a home where there are measle cases
rarely bring the sickness to their own
children. Direct contact with the Sc
cretions from the nose, mouth, and
throat is necessary to contract the
disease.
One attack of measles usually
causes immunity and people are usu-
ally mistaken when they think they
had the disease more than once. They
probably ascribed some other sickness
to measles. This immunity is trans
ferred through the blood from the
mother to an infant. That is why in
fants, under six months, rarely con-
tract measles. Epidemics of measles
are more frequent and more severe
during the winter and spring months.
1t takes between eleven and six
teen days after exposure for the
symptoms of measles to appear. The
child may be ailing, have fever for
several days, and unless it is known
that it was in contact with measles
the diagnosis of the desease is almost
impossible in the first few days. A
physician can, however, diagnose a
case of measles about three or four
days before the typical measle rash
appears by specific little white spots
upon the mucous membrane of the
cheeks-the Koplik's spots.
The typical measle rash appears
first behind the ears, on the neck, or
at the roots of the hair over the fore
head. 1t appears as small, dark red
spots, irregular in their outline. The
rash then spreads to the rest of the
face, neck, beneath the chin, chest,
and upper extremeties. By the time
the rash appears on the legs it begins
to fade from the face.
People usually associate measles
with the characteristic measles rash
forgetting that there are other symp-
toms as well. These are: sneezing,
nasal discharge which is frequently
protuse, tearing from the eyes, fear
OF light, irritable and incessant cough,
etc. The failure to remember these
symptoms, as part of the picture of
may be the reason why some
people call every rash by the name
assuming that they had measles sever
al times during their life time.
Measles is lf-limited disease
and as such is not dangerous. The
complication, however, may be very
serious. Bronchopneumonia is not an
lntrequent complication, at least ten
per cent of children i'll with measles
are subject to it. The mortality of
these cases is very high. During
some epidemics it is reported to be as
high as 70 per cent.
Infections of the middle ear are
common complications. Swollen
glands digestive disturbances, nervous
and kidney complications are we'll
known.
1t is absolutely wrong to expose a
child to measles on the assumption
that it has to get the disease some
time, anyway. The older the person
who contracts measles is, the better
his chances are for complete recovery
and the less are his chances for com
plications.
Infants and delicate children who
have been exposed to measles should
De given the serum from convalescent
patients as a preventative measure.
In view of the fact that the incubation
period of measles is between eleven
and sixteen days, as stated above,
children exposed to measles should be
well protected for that period, avoid
ing exposure to cold, drafts, etc. A
healthy child is less apt to contract
complications during the measIe in
ness, and the sickness i+sa1f is ,,o+ ont