Measles Research Paper

Measles is a very dangerous virus that is contracted very easily. Measles is caused by a virus from the paramyxovirus family, it is passes through various ways of direct contact, and through the air as well. The virus first infects the respiratory tract and then spread throughout the entire body within days. The symptoms are similar to the common cold or flu, only measles is a far more extreme virus than the flu. You first get a high fever which starts to occur less than 2 weeks after being exposed to the virus, the high fever will last between 4 and 5 days. Along with a fever you will experience a runny nose, coughing, red and watery eyes and small white splotches inside the cheeks. After a few days, the symptoms will begin to get more severe

Measles can be transmitted in many different ways, and is very contagious due to the amount of time that it can stay present in one place. The virus can remain active and contagious in the air for over 2 hours after someone infected passes by or maybe even coughs in a room. When measles infects a surface or an object, the virus stays on that object for over 4 hours. Infected surfaces is the number one way of spreading the disease from person to person. Most people believe that disinfecting a surface will protect them fully from getting that particular disease. But, what they do not know is most store bought disinfectors only kill about 90% of the bacteria present on a surface. That said, they are still dealing with 10% of the diseases and virus’s on their surfaces. It can be very hard to get rid of. Measles can be a very serious disease if not vaccinated correctly. In the most severe cases, measles has caused blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea, dehydration, ear infections, and pneumonia. Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children. There is an inexpensive vaccine available to the public to ensure their child's