Treatment for Measles

Treatment for measles cannot be done with antibiotics. This is because measles is caused by a virus. In most cases a measles infection (in the vast majority of cases) can simply be left to run its course.

If you suspect that your child has measles, call your doctor immediately.  Having close contact with your doctor will let you both monitor your child's progress and will help you to spot the onset of any possible complications. This all ensures that the person infected gets an effective treatment for measles.

Your child’s temperature should be taken at least once each morning and each evening, and keep a written record.  If the fever goes above 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) bring it down using non-aspirin fever medications such as acetaminophen.

WARNING!!!
DO NOT USE ASPIRIN.  Unless instructed by your child's doctor, don't give aspirin to a child who has a viral illness since the use of aspirin in such cases has been associated with the development of Reye Syndrome – a serious and potentially deadly encephalitis-like illness.  Instead, acetaminophen and ibuprofen may be used safely.

At the moment there is no specific antiviral therapy for measles. The basic treatment consists of providing necessary supportive therapy. Encourage your child to drink clear fluids: water, fruit juice, tea, and lemonade. Drinking fluid will help replace body water lost in the heat and sweating of fever episodes. The will also help reduce the chance of lung infections (pneumonia) because they prevent lung secretions from becoming thick and clogging the breathing passages. You can achieve this by using a cool-mist vaporizer. This will help relieve the cough and soothe the breathing passages. Make sure to clean the vaporizer each day to prevent the formation of any mould.  Avoid hot-water or steam vaporizers. These can cause accidental burns or scalds to children.

Vitamin A is also a good addition in the treatment for measles, and is known to improve the outcome of measles if the patient is deficient in vitamin A.

If your child has measles, make sure that they do not read or watch television while their eyes are sensitive to light.  The infected person should rest and avoid busy activities.  A child can safely return to school about 7 to 10 days after the fever and rash are gone.

Children who succumb to a measles outbreak are far more vulnerable to infections caused by micro-organisms, especially bacterial infections of their ear and lungs. When this happens, the doctor will usually prescribe antibiotics to treat their bacterial infection.

Limit the infected person’s contact with other people to ensure that know one else gets infected too. They should especially avoid public transportation (including commercialairlines) and crowded indoor areas.