If you have thought that fading of rashes would correspond to the end of measles and you could feel relaxed, then this article might throw a surprise!!
Not many would know the fact that there are certain infections that can attack us after measles. When a person has measles then he or she would have symptoms like rashes, fever, cough, reddish coloured eyes etc. Virus is responsible for measles in us. Measles is infectious and can spread from one person to another through breath.
The shocking piece of information is that measles has come back to the USA and more cases have been reported till now in the middle of 2025 when compared to early 1990s.
It is worth mentioning here that after measles the immunity would get lowered and as a result we could get several issues like pneumonia, ear issues, diarrhoea, meningitis etc. It was brought out by a research study in Brazil that measles infection could lead to many non-measles infection deaths.
Health issues we could get after measles are
Respiratory infections:
The cough which we get due to measles would not leave us even after we get cured from measles. The reason for this is due to pneumonia or bronchial pneumonia that would persist. Children who are below the age of 5 get serious complications due to measles.
Diarrhoea and dehydration etc:
Not only lungs get affected by measles but also our gut. Toddlers usually suffer from diarrhoea after measles. By this, the children would feel totally drained. It is really shocking to note that in developing countries diarrhoea from measles is a killer.
Ear based infections or otitis media:
Truth is that one in 10 kids would get ear infections after measles. They could get ringing ears or even hearing loss etc. Point is that the virus would cause inflammation in the Eustachian canal and middle ear.. As a result, the small ears of kids would get filled with fluid and pressure builds up. It is essential to treat ear infection fast or else it can lead to hearing loss also.
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis or SSPE:
Kids who are between 7 and 10 could get affected by SSPE which can be a worst slow burn tragedy. They could appear as another infection in unvaccinated kids. In the beginning, the kids would show behavioural changes, mood swings etc. After some time, the kids would show seizures, muscle spasms, memory loss etc.
Myocarditis issue:
After measles, a person can also get myocarditis. It is worthy to mention that the heart muscle would become swollen, irritated and can`t pump well. Chest pain, fatigue and irregular heartbeat would occur. Fact is that the doctors would treat it carefully, balancing fluids and watching heart rhythm on the monitor.
Blindness:
Children who are deprived of vitamin A could get keratitis or corneal inflammation or corneal ulcers and could go blind also after measles. It is shocking to mention that once damage to cornea is done there is no rewind button. It is for this reason the eye specialists push vitamin A during measles outbreaks.
Complications during pregnancy:
When a pregnant mother gets affected by measles then she could get miscarriage, premature labour and deliver a low birth weight baby. Truth is that even if the mother survives their babies would be medically fragile.
