Typical symptoms of measles to watch out for during an outbreak

Measles is in season and spreading rapidly. Here are typical measles symptoms to watch out for during an outbreak .

First symptoms of measles

Unfortunately, symptoms of measles don't appear until about a week to 10 days after exposure. So you could have come into contact with someone—and not even realize you did—and then actually infect others. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, you should look out for these common signs of measles:

1. Fever
2. Cough
3. Have a runny nose
4. Sore throat
5. Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
6. Small white spots on the inside of the cheeks
7. Skin rash

Is measles dangerous?

Yes, especially for young children because their bodies are still developing and do not have as much reserve in their lungs. According to data released by the CDC on May 9, 2024, about 20% of people who get measles will be hospitalized, 1 in 20 children who get measles will develop pneumonia, and 1 to 3 in 1,000 children who get measles will die. Pneumonia is probably the most common cause of death that can occur."

Another problem you may experience is swelling of the brain. This can lead to brain damage. So even if you survive measles, you may still have lasting effects, including deafness and/or intellectual disability.

How to treat measles

There is currently no way to avoid measles. Once you get sick, you will need to follow your treatment plan exactly. This may include things like fever-reducing medications or antibiotics to treat bacterial pneumonia that develops during a measles infection. Antibiotics will not directly help measles because they are only effective against bacteria and measles is caused by a virus. Because there is no specific treatment and serious complications can occur, it is important to take steps to prevent measles.

How to prevent measles

The most important step you can take to prevent the spread of measles is to make sure you and your family are fully vaccinated.

Once a person has measles, it is difficult to prevent others from getting it. There are two main reasons for this. The first reason is that, as mentioned above, a person can be contagious before they have symptoms, so they may not know that they should take preventive steps. Second, measles is spread through respiratory droplets that can stay in the air for up to two hours, so direct contact with an infected person is not required to catch the virus, according to information released by the CDC on July 15, 2024.

If you or a family member may have measles, the first thing you should do is see your doctor and have your antibody levels tested to see if you have had an acute infection,' says Dr. Sams.

Infected people should be separated from other household members (especially those who have not been vaccinated or have weakened immune systems) to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Hand washing and wearing masks also reduce the risk of infection .

Micah Soto

Update 26 May 2025