Measles. PCR detection of virus RNA
Measles is a highly contagious acute viral disease that is airborne and can lead to serious complications and death.
Between 2000 and 2021, measles vaccination prevented 56 million deaths.
Despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine, there were an estimated 128,000 measles deaths worldwide in 2021, mostly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under 5 years of age.
Measles is an anthroponous infection, and only a sick person can be the source. The patient is contagious from the last 2-4 days of the incubation period to the 4th day of rashes. If complications develop, the contagious period may extend up to 10 days. The most contagious patient is in the catarrhal period. In patients with a mitigated form of infection, the contagious period is much shorter.
The route of transmission is airborne.
Transplacental transmission of the virus is possible. During pregnancy in 20% of cases measles is complicated by termination of pregnancy and fetal malformations.
Previously, measles was considered to be exclusively a pediatric infection, but in recent years there has been an increase in the proportion of adolescents and adults with measles to 68-80%.
The measles clinic is:
- temperature rise to 38-39 C
- headache
- weakness, lethargy, malaise
- runny nose, sneezing, discharge of abundant serous nasal secretion
- feeling of stuffiness in the respiratory tract
- hoarseness of voice
- rough cough
- lacrimation, photophobia
- skin rashes
Mitigated measles is observed in children who have received gamma globulin prophylaxis within the first 5 days of exposure.
The latent form is clinically indistinguishable from the mitigated form and occurs in vaccinated children between 2 and 10 years of age.
Measles with aggravated symptoms (hypertoxic, hemorrhagic, malignant)
There are multiple hemorrhages in the skin, mucous membranes, in urine tests in such patients hematuria is detected. In the clinic of hypertoxic and malignant forms are dominated by symptoms of intoxication, changes in the nervous system in the form of hyperesthesia, convulsive readiness and seizures. These forms can lead to a fatal outcome.