pediatrics
Measles
Introduction
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that is most common among children. It is characterized by fever, cough, coryza, conjunctivitis, an enanthem (Koplik spots) on the oral mucosa, and a maculopapular rash that spreads cephalocaudally. Complications, mainly pneumonia or encephalitis, may be fatal, particularly in medically underserved areas. Diagnosis is usually clinical. Treatment is supportive. Vaccination is effective for prevention. Worldwide, measles infects approximately 10 million people and causes approximately 100,000 to 200,000 deaths each year, primarily in children ( General reference ). These numbers can vary dramatically over a short period of time depending on the vaccination status of the population. Measles is uncommon in the United States because of routine childhood vaccination, and endemic measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. An average of 63 cases/year were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2000 to 2010. ). Parental Vaccine Hesitancy is becoming more frequent as a cause of the increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in children. In 2020, only 13 measles cases were reported in the United States amid the COVID-19 global pandemic. In 2022, 121 cases were reported (see the CDC's 