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Measles

Measles is a highly infectious disease.

Measles is spread by close contat and by coughs and sneezes. The incubation period ranges between 7 and 18 days (average 10 days), and individuals remain infectious from the beginning of first symptoms to 4 days after the appearance of the rash.

Symptoms may include fever, malaise, cold symptoms, conjunctivitis and cough. Spots may be observed in the mouth and a rash usually appears one to two days later. The measles rash starts initially in the hairline, but spreads rapidly to cover the face, trunk and limbs. It is not itchy and will fade away over a week to ten days.

Complications may occur in around 30% of cases.

The most common complications are pneumonia, ear ache, diarrhoea and convulsions.  Other rarer complications include encephalitis (acute inflammation of the brain) and sub acute sclerosing pan-encephalitis (a rare chronic, progressive encephalitis). A rare but fatal complication of measles infection.

Measles infection is preventable through vaccination, two doses of MMR are required to produce satisfactory protection against measles, mumps and rubella.  There are no ill effects from vaccination of individuals who have a history of having either measles, mumps or rubella infections.

MMR vaccine can be given to individuals of any age.

Mumps

Mumps is an infection caused by a virus. It mainly affects the salivary glands but sometimes other parts of the body too. Mumps normally affects children but can occur at any age.

Symptoms

1. Swelling and pain of one or both parotid glands, situated just below the ears
2. The mouth may feel dry
3. Chewing or swallowing may feel sore
4. Fever, headache, feeling tired and being off food may develop for a few days
5. Mild abdominal pain may occur

Swelling of the parotid glands usually lasts 4 to 8 days. Mumps is usually a mild illness, but complications sometimes occur. This is why immunisation is important.
There may be no symptoms or only very minor ones.
The immune system makes antibodies during the infection. These clear the virus and then provide lifelong immunity. It is therefore very rare to have more than one episode of mumps.

Complications

1. The testes (testicles) are sometimes affected. About 1 in 4 males who get mumps over the age of 12 develop painful swollen testes. Occasionally both testes are affected. In rare cases this may cause infertility.
2. Brain inflamation is an uncommon complication. It typically causes drowsiness, headache, stiff neck, wanting to keep out of the light and vomiting.
3. Infamation of the pancreas, heart and other organs are rare complications.
4. If you develop mumps in the first 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy, it may increase the risk of miscarriage.

Treatment

There is no drug that kills the mumps virus. Treatment aims to ease symptoms until the body's immune system clears the virus.

1. You do not need any treatment if symptoms are mild
2. Paracetamol can ease fever and pain. Ibuprofen is an alternative.
3. Have lots of water, particulary if you have a fever. Fruit juice may stimulate the parotid gland to make more saliva and cause more pain. Water is best if this occurs.
4. A warm flannel held against a painful parotid gland is soothing.

Mumps is very infectious It is passed on by coughing and sneezing. It takes 14 to 21 days to develop symptoms after being infected. Affected people are infectious from about six days before, until about five days after a parotid gland begins to swell. It is best not to mix with others once mumps is suspected.

Immunisation

If you are aged between 14 and 25 there is a good chance that you have only had one dose fo the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. You need two doses of MMR to be properly immunised. There have recently been outbreaks of mumps among teenagers and young people because they have not been fully protected.

The only effective way to prevent mumps is to have two MMR vaccinations. If you don't know if you've had MMR before, having more than one or two doses won't do you any harm.

For further information visit: mmrthefacts.nhs.uk