Measles

There are four periods in the course of the disease:

1st Incubation period: lasts 10-14 days and is normally asymptomatic.

2nd prodromal or catarrhal period: it lasts about 4 days and is characterized by

• High fever that then decreases to rise again, before the exanthema.
• General malaise.
• Nasal mucous membrane cold (rhinitis, nasal discharge) and conjunctival (tearing, photophobia, eye congestion), dry irritating cough. All this gives rise to the typical "facies sarampionosa".
• Exanthema: small pink spots that are seen mainly on the veil of the palate, although they exist in other mucous membranes.
• Koplik's spots: small spots with white center in mucous of internal face of cheeks and lips. They appear at the end of this period and before the rash appears. They are exclusive of this disease.
• Laterocervical lymph node swelling, but less intense than in rubella.

3º Exanthemic period: it lasts about 5 days with fever that rises, irritability, somnolence, worsening of the catarrhal symptoms, general malaise, anorexia (little appetite). It appears maculo-papular exanthema, confluent, reddish, which begins in the face and extends to the rest of the body, including palms of hands and soles of feet. There are varieties, according to this exanthema, such as the reticulous or hemorrhagic measles.

4º Scaling period: it has variable duration. It diminishes the fever, a generalized improvement takes place, disappearance of the exanthema and appearance of a furfurácea descamation (skin with flour aspect).