Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —
Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) noted a surge in measles cases in Indonesia which had increased 25 times over the past year. What are the symptoms of measles?
Throughout 2022, 3,341 cases of measles have been reported in 223 districts/cities.
Head of UKK Infection and Tropical Diseases Anggraini Alam said that measles is often overlooked so that many people simply skip measles immunization.
“So in 2021 there will be 132 confirmed cases, and in 2022 there will be 3,341 cases. This means that the increase is not insignificant,” said Anggraini, Thursday (19/1).
In fact, there is one story, when one of the children got measles, his parents got infected at the same time because they did not understand preventive measures.
Symptoms of Measles
In his presentation, Anggraini said that measles is divided into three phases.
Initial symptoms will appear in the form of:
– high fever, and
– red spots on the skin,
– cough or runny nose.
In the next phase, the patient will experience:
– red eye,
– there is a red rash on the body,
– a radiating rash that generally starts behind the ear.
In the last phase, symptoms are seen from a rash that spreads to other parts of the body such as the hands and feet.
“If you really look at his skin, a rash appears after a fever. He has three phases, starting from the presence of symptoms, fever or 3C typical symptoms, namely measles, flu, runny nose, or red eyes and coughing. Then there is the eruption phase or red rash,” said Anggraini.
What causes measles?
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus called morbillivirus. Launching the Cleveland Clinic, measles can be contracted through:
– Contaminated droplets spread through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks.
– Kissing a measles patient.
– Sharing drinks or food with people with measles.
– Shaking hands or holding hands or hugging someone who has measles.
– From a pregnant person to her baby – whether during pregnancy, childbirth or while breastfeeding.
Measles that is not treated immediately can cause a number of health complications, even death. Therefore, parents must recognize the symptoms of measles before it’s too late.
(chs/chs)
