The duration of symptoms in someone with measles will vary from one person to the next, depending on how severe their infection is and if they have any existing health conditions that can increase their risk of complications. In most cases, symptoms of measles don’t appear in an infected person until 10 to 14 days following their exposure to the virus. Once symptoms start to appear, they will typically follow a series of stages that span over a two-to-three-week time period. Each stage of the illness can present different symptoms, starting with mild symptoms that could be mistaken for a cold or flu. The initial stage of symptoms typically lasts for a couple of days and includes sore throat, runny nose, persistent cough, and a mild to moderate fever. Following this stage, the fever will spike quickly, and a rash of small red spots will start to appear. The rash starts on the face and then spreads down to cover the arms and torso, before continuing to spread down to the thighs, legs, and feet. Once the virus has run its course, the rash will start to fade in the same order that it appears.