Measles is a highly contagious, exanthematic viral disease that generally affects children and adolescents. Measles starts out like a common cold, with a cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, and a mild to moderate fever.
Then the most typical manifestation of this disease appears, Koplik’s sign, which is a variable number of whitish spots like sugar sprinkles that stand out on the surrounding reddened mucosa of the mouth.
Subsequently, the fever rises again in a range of 39 ° C to 40 ° C, the cough worsens, and that is when the rash begins on the face, behind the ears, on the wings of the nose and around the mouth. , later extending to the trunk and extremities. The rash disappears with scaling
In most cases, measles lasts an average of ten days. The immunity it generates is long-lasting, so you can only suffer from this disease once.
Since measles mainly affects the body’s immune system, in addition to causing pain and irritation in the eyes that can lead to conjunctivitis, it is convenient to strengthen the defenses, try to calm the pain and relieve the eyes, through home remedies such as the following:
folk remedies
Remedy for measles # 1: Mix three parts of linden flowers and two parts of fruits of hip and elder. Then boil 2 tablespoons of the preparation for ten minutes in a quarter of a liter of water. Remove from heat, let cool and strain. Drink three cups daily sweetened with 1 teaspoon of Honey.
Remedy for measles #2 Mix 5 tablespoons of burdock root, 3 of parsley and 5 yarrow in a liter of boiling water. Let stand, cover for fifteen minutes and take in small amounts throughout the day.
Remedy for measles #3 Mix three parts of roots of elecampane, three of verbena, two of borage flowers, two of fennel roots and two of elder leaves. Boil 1 tablespoon of this preparation in a quarter of a liter of water and let it rest for ten minutes. Drink three cups a day.
Remedy for measles # 4 Pour 1 tablespoon of chamomile in a cup of boiling water. Cover, cool a little and strain. Perform several times a day rinses with this warm infusion.
Remedy for measles # 5 Pour 1 tablespoon of salt into a cup of water. Then place this preparation in a dropper and apply several drops in the corner of each eye.
Remedy for measles # 6 Wipe the eyes with gauze soaked in boiled water from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner if crusting occurs. Use a different gauze for each eye
Remedy for measles #7 Boil, for 5 minutes, in a liter of water 30 grams of borage flowers and a handful of lime. Remove from heat and let cool. Take throughout the day
Remedy for measles # 8 There are several homeopathic remedies to treat each of the symptoms that will afflict the child throughout the viral process:
- Aconitum napellus or Belladonna: for fever or cold.
- pulsatilla: febrile states and production of green mucus and photophobia.
- Bryonia alba or Sulphur: when the rash appears.
Remedy for measles # 9 Give the child a bath with 2.5 percent tea tree oil or Roman chamomile. This remedy is suitable for relieving the discomfort of the rash caused by measles.
Remedy for measles # 10 Make an infusion prepared with 10 g of yarrow, 20 g of flowers of elder and 20 g of chamomile in a liter of water which will help relieve fever caused by measles
Remedy for measles # 11 Prepare a saucepan with a quarter of the water, the linden blossoms and the rose hips. It is kept on the fire until it starts to boil and then it is removed from the heat, it is left to rest for a few minutes and it is strained. You have to drink three cups a day, always hot and preferably sweetened with honey
Remedy for measles # 12 Make an infusion of one or two teaspoons of scabious in a cup that is boiling. Cover and let cool. Take three to five cups daily. Sweetening this herbal tea with pomegranate syrup increases its effectiveness.
recommendations
Consume enough liquids especially water and juicessince with fever and sweat, it can cause dehydration quickly.
Put a cool humidifier in the room to give some humidity to the air in the room and facilitate free breathing. However, it is necessary to wash the humidifier daily to avoid the growth of fungus that could worsen the situation.
keep the lights lowsince measles can make the eyes irritated and sensitive to light. It is also a good idea to wear sunglasses inside the house.
Restrict activity in the case of children. Many children will want to go out and play when they feel a little better. However, it’s better than making sure they stay home until they’re fully healed.
Call the doctor immediately if:
- There is excessive pain in the ears
- A yellow discharge comes out of the eyes or nose
- You have a fever after the fifth day of the rash
- There are symptoms of pneumonia, such as labored breathing, wheezing, chest pain, or a severe cough.
- There are signs of neurological problems such as seizures, delirium, deep sleep (cannot be woken easily), weakness or spasms in a leg or arm.
Questions and answers
Is it true that measles sometimes causes meningitis?
It is estimated that in approximately 1 per 1,000 cases, some type of neurological complication occurs, such as meningitis or encephalitis. In a small number of cases, the complication manifests itself before the skin rash appears and is due to an infection caused by the measles virus itself.
Most frequently, on the contrary, it is evident after the appearance of said eruption and is then considered as a superimposed infection caused by the immunological deficit that causes the disease. On the other hand, it does not seem that there is any relationship between the severity of this and the neurological disease. The normal thing is that, if it is an early form, the prognosis is good.
To get effective immunity, which is better, getting measles or getting vaccinated against it?
The investigations carried out in this sense show that the percentages of antibodies stimulated by the vaccine are lower than those caused by the disease itself. However, the immunity caused by the vaccine is sufficiently effective, and, in general, its protection is as long-lasting as that derived from having had the disease. It has been found that the number of antibodies increases rapidly when the body comes into contact with the virus and that, consequently, the onset of the disease is prevented.
On the other hand, taking into account the possibilities of a complication occurring, as well as the deterioration of the general state that the condition causes, the vaccine is, without a doubt, highly recommended.
Should a child who has just contracted measles be isolated from the rest of his siblings?
Since contagion is very easy in the phase prior to the onset of symptoms, the truth is that, in most cases, isolation precautions are of little use. It should not be forgotten that a person who has measles is contagious from 9 or 10 days after contact with the virus until about five days after the rash disappears.
It should be noted that today those who suffer from measles are isolated, not so that they do not infect others, but for their own benefit, to avoid the possibility of contracting bacterial infections added to the viral process. In any case, the insulation is removed after one or two days after the temperature has returned to normal.
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