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Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases Expert Comments on Measles
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Recent outbreaks of measles in various parts of the world have public health officials concerned. Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist Dr. Pritish Tosh says worldwide, 150,000 children die of measles each year, and the recent outbreaks in the United States have happened because people have opted to not have their children vaccinated. He says measles can be a serious and deadly disease for children, but it is a completely preventable disease. He urges all parents to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended schedule for vaccinations and to have their children receive the measles vaccine (mumps, measles and rubella vaccine).
Symptoms of measles include:
- Fever
- Dry cough
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- Inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis)
- Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek — also called Koplik's spots
- A skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another
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