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About Measles Measles, also called rubeola, is a highly contagious respiratory infection that’s caused by a virus. It causes a total-body skin rash and flu-like symptoms, including a fever, cough, and runny nose. Though rare in the United States, 20 million cases happen worldwide every year.
How does measles affect the skin?
The rash is a symptom of inflammation occurring in the skin. As the virus travels in the blood, it infects capillaries in the skin. Immune cells detect the infection and respond by releasing chemicals such as nitric oxide and histamines, which destroy the viral invaders and call other immune cells into action.
What kind of virus is measles?
The measles virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus and the family Paramyxoviridae. The virus is related to several viruses that infect animals, including the Canine Distemper Virus.
What type of disease causes measles?
What causes measles? Measles is caused by morbillivirus, which is mostly seen in the winter and spring. It’s spread from one child to another through direct contact with discharge from the nose and throat. Sometimes, it is spread through airborne droplets (from a cough or sneeze) from an infected child.
What causes a viral rash? Viral rashes are caused by either an immune response to the virus or damage to skin cells from the virus. In the case of measles, for example, your immune system detects the virus as it travels through your bloodstream. Immune cells then release chemicals to destroy the virus.
Where is measles found in the body?
It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots. The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses, or mouths, they can become infected.
What virus causes German measles?
In kids, rubella — commonly called German measles or 3-day measles — is usually a mild illness. But the infection is dangerous for pregnant women because it can cause serious health problems in their babies. Rubella is caused by the rubella (roo-BELL-uh) virus (not the same virus that causes measles).
Where do measles originate from?
Like many human diseases, measles originated in animals. A spill-over of a cattle-infecting virus, the common ancestor to both measles virus and its closest relative rinderpest virus is understood as likely to have given rise to the disease.