Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. Measles can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children. Measles typically begins with. Call your healthcare provider immediately if you think you or your child have been exposed to measles.

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. Measles is an infectious illness caused by the rubeola virus. It spreads either through direct contact with a person who has the virus or through droplets in the air.

Measles, or rubeola, is a viral infection that starts in the respiratory system. It still remains a significant cause of death worldwide, despite the availability of a safe, effective vaccine. There were about , global deaths related to measles in , most of them in children under the age of 5, according to the World Health Organization WHO.

In , after a decades-long vaccination program, the CDC declared measles eliminated from the United States. Jump to today, the United States has seen more measles diagnoses in the first three months of than in all of Although unvaccinated children are at high risk for infection, adults can also be impacted by the virus.