Measles Rash in Kids: Symptoms and How to Identify It

Skin reactions can be worrying especially when there are constant stories about measles outbreaks affecting the young. The US and vaccine-preventable diseases has had over 1000 cases of measles at the last tally and 2019 is turning out to be terrible. With numbers like these it can leave panicked parents on the defense when trying to diagnose rashes on their children.

If you are like me, just the slightest irritation, a pimple on my child’s face, can drive you nuts chasing down the information and coming across the sites like these. Luckily, the rash of measles is rather unique and the measles illness is accompanied by a number of signs which manifest themselves in the days preceeding the rash. Dr Geoffrey Ankeney, a family physician with Kaiser Permanente in Olympia, Washington said that by the time the rash appears your child would be suffering from a severe enough cold or flu for a pediatrician to be consulted. “There are signs that you find with measles and these do not present with other rashes and you should present with them three to four days before the rash manifests.”

The Symptoms

CDC reports signs of measles develop 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. The manifestations can mimic a cold or flu: runny noses; coughing; red and, extremely watery eyes; photosensitivity; or aversion to light; and, in Ankeney’s opinion, the single most indicative sign, fever, 104° F/40° C and above. “If the temperatures are about 100, and it never gets to 104°, then it is probably not measles,” he explains. “The measles are nearly always associated with a very high fever.”

Deborah Schutz, a San Diego RN got measles in college and says that fever stands out as one of the worst symptoms. “Now, after years, remembering all this even now just saying it, I can almost imagine the feeling in my arms it was so hot.” She never clearly states pleasant feelings; instead she says that she feels weaker than a worm and that the fever feels almost painful.

When you go to an expert for a check up Ankeney says that you may find something called Koplik spots on the inside of the cheeks around the pre molar teeth or at the roof of you mouth three days after experiencing the early signs of the flu. They are tiny blue and white speckles said Whitehead with a little white halo around them. “They do not cause pain but appear one to two days before the rash does, according to him.

The Rash

The rash of measles come out three to five days after the onset of the first sign and the rash is very specific. According to CDC, the measles will begin with flat red spots that start at the hairline and spread over the face, neck, trunk of the body, on the arms, legs and feet. Ankeney also points out to look around the ears, if you think that your child may have developed the disease. Initially it looks like small red pin prick lesion on the legs, but the rash then becomes more solid as it fast spreads to the trunk and arms.

Morbilliform rashes of measles are generally not very pruritic, and by this account, qualify as morbilliform, according to Ankeney. Despite this it is perhaps surprising for many people that ‘measles rashes are even termed as maculopapular,’ according to him. Around the less elevated regions should be what he calls a ‘halo of redness,’ and after the lapse of time the redness begins to sort of merge. What you will find is a person completely covered with red which is accompanied by small itchy red bumps. “The patient’s whole face and all of their cheeks will be red with pimple like lesions in the center. It is stated that in common with all those affected by neurofibromatosis, “there is no place where the bumps themselves have normal skin color around them.”

Prevention

According to the World Health Organization it is one of world’s most contagious diseases. The CDC has warned that most people who have gotten sick with measles this year were those who had not been vaccinated. They also both say that the best bet for protecting your loved ones from the virus is through the administration of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines which is administered between 12-15 months and 4-6 years respectively.

If your child has a rash or some signs that you are worried by, or a high temperature, it is always best to phone a doctor or take them in. Especially if it looks like they have measles and were not vaccinated you should get them checked. Always listen to your intuition; if something is wrong, it’s better not to take the risk.