Measles (Rubeola) is a contagious, infectious disease caused by a virus.
While some people think of measles as just a little rash and fever that clear up in a few days, measles can cause serious health complications.
View our “Measles Fact Sheet” in English or Spanish and let’s dive deeper into measles and how frontline healthcare workers can minimize the spread of this infectious disease!
Who is at Risk?
Anyone who is not immune to measles is at risk.
Measles is very contagious. It spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes. You can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been.
Complications of measles can be minor, like ear infections, or serious, like pneumonia and encephalitis.
There are several groups that are more likely to suffer from measles complications:
- Children younger than 5 years of age
- Adults older than 20 years of age
- Pregnant women
- People with weakened immune systems, such as from leukemia or HIV infection
What Are the Symptoms of Measles?
Symptoms of measles can include:
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose (coryza)
- Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
- Rash (maculopapular)
Among children, illnesses with fever and rash can be common.
Healthcare workers should pay attention to specific rash characteristics. The typical measles rash begins at hairline and progresses to face, neck, and trunk.
Lack of vaccination and international travel should signal consideration of measles, as well as exposure to someone else with measles or an illness with fever and rash.
How Can You Prevent Measles?
The most safe, effective way to protect yourself from measles is with the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) Vaccine.
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Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles. One dose is about 93% effective.
92% of Latino children aged 19-35 months received their first MMR vaccine dose, while only 88% of Latino adolescents aged 13-17 years received a second dose.
To provide their children and their communities the best protection, encourage families to fully vaccinate their children against measles by getting both doses.
What are the Best Steps for Measles Infection Prevention and Control?
Steps to take when it comes to infection prevention and control include:
- Ensure all healthcare workers have acceptable presumptive evidence of immunity to measles. Find details at https://bit.ly/4hmCt7V.
- Identify: Rapidly identify and isolate patients with known or suspected measles; adhere to standard and airborne precautions.
- Isolate: Immediately move patients with known or suspected measles to an isolated location, ideally an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR). If unavailable, use a private room with the door closed.
- Inform: Set up a process to immediately notify public health authorities of suspected measles using information at cste.org/epiafterhours.
For help with patients presenting with suspected measles, pre-visit telephone triage, clinical care, and more, visit “Think Measles” from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) at bit.ly/thinkmeasles.
Find references for all this content here.
Read this article in Spanish here.
How to Continue Promoting Infection Control in the Healthcare Setting
You can help keep yourself, your colleagues, and your patients safe from infectious disease threats by building your infection control knowledge!
To show your dedication, sign this pledge to complete an infection control training or activity through CDC’s Project Firstline!
You can also share infection control training opportunities with healthcare colleagues via LinkedIn with our Project Firstline social media toolkit.
You can access more information about infection prevention and control in healthcare by visiting resources from CDC Project Firstline.
Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio is working with the National Hispanic Medical Association to bring Project Firstline infection control educational content to healthcare workers, so they are equipped with the knowledge they need to protect themselves, their facilities, and their patients (Latinos and all communities) from infectious disease threats in healthcare settings.
Check out some of the articles from this partnership:
- What’s a Virus?
- What is Ventilation and Why Does It Matter?
- Contact Time: What is It and How Does it Impact Infection Control?
- The Surprising Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfection
- What’s a Respiratory Droplet and Why Does It Matter?
Check out some of the Latino healthcare workers who are heroes for infection control:
- Anna Valdez: Tackling Infection Control with Education from Classroom to Clinic
- Wanda Montalvo: Preventing Infections in Community Health Centers, Latino Communities
- Ricardo Correa: Endocrinologist and Infection Control Leader for the Latino Community
- Jorge Moreno: Infection Control Hero for Spanish-Speaking Latinos and All Patients
- Veronica Ramirez: Keeping Her Community Health with Infection Control
- Juanita Mora: A Voice for the Latino Community and Infection Control
Learn More about Project Firstline!
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a collaboration between Salud America!, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and the CDC’s Project Firstline. To find resources training materials, and other tools to bolster knowledge and practice of infection control, visit Project Firstline and view Salud America!’s infection control content.
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