Measles

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues

See, Play and Learn

• Images

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Measles is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily from person to person. It causes a blotchy red rash. The rash often starts on the head and moves down the body. Other symptoms include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Feeling achy and run down
• Tiny white spots inside the mouth

Sometimes measles can lead to serious problems. There is no treatment for measles, but the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent it.

"German measles", also known as rubella, is a completely different illness.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• About Measles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Measles (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Questions about Measles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Symptoms

• Measles Symptoms and Complications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Antibody Serology Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Measles and Mumps Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Vaccination Is the Best Protection against Measles (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Measles (World Health Organization) Also in Spanish
• Measles Cases and Outbreaks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Safety Information (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Plan for Travel: Measles (Rubeola) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Images

• Measles (Rubeola) (VisualDX)
• Photos of Measles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Measles (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Dynamics of communication on measles vaccination on digital platforms in the...
• Article: Monitoring measles infections using flight passenger dynamics in Europe: A data-driven...
• Article: Induction of tissue resident memory T cells by measles vaccine vector.
• Measles -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Children

• Measles Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Measles: What You Need to Know (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella and the MMR Vaccine during Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Measles (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella) Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish