Complication The most serious of the complication encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) affects about one in a thousand measles sufferers. This complication usually occurs as the child is beginning to recover and may start with a convulsion or loss of consciousness or, less suddenly, with excessive drowsiness, hallucination, confusion or other unusual behavior. All such children need urgent hospital admission. However, convulsions (fever fits) not uncommon in children under five who have a high temperature, recovery from febrile convulsions is rapid and, thought frightening, the condition is seldom harmful, but medical advice should be sought. About four in a hundred children develop pneumonia as the virus invades the lungs. Signs of this are rapid breathing, tightness or pain in the chest and a worsening cough. In general, this condition merely prolongs the time that the child is ill, but sometimes antibiotic treatment is necessary. Group, with its ringing, metallic-sounding dry cough may develop at the height of measles but usually this is not serious. However, if the child’s lips appear blue and the chest wall between the ribs is sucked in with each breath, urgent medical attention must be sought. Painful ear infection occur in about one in fifty cases but they generally get better, leaving no problem behind. some doctors will prescribe antibiotics if the child has earache or signs of bronchitis or pneumonia, others prefer to ‘wait and see’. Contacts need not be quarantined. In the UK about 20 children die of measles each year, either from encephalitis or because they already have some serious physical defect or illness when they catch measles twice-if this seems to happen then one of the diagnoses was or is almost certainly wrong.
Immunization
The vaccine is given in one injection and afterwards a mild illness may occasionally follow with a couple of days of slight temperature and sometimes a rash, seven to ten days after vaccination. Very rarely a child susceptible to fever fits will have one. The vaccine should be given soon after the first birthday at a time when the child is well and no holiday or other important family event is due within the next seven to fourteen days. vaccination is unsafe for children who have leukemia or similar diseases, those receiving steroids, for example after a transplant , or anticancer drugs. Doctor also take special precaustions where a child has had convulsion or severe, chronic illness of lungs or heart. In the past, children known to be allergic to eggs where advised to avoid measles vaccine, but this is no longer the case. The vaccine is extremely effective.