What are the treatments for measles?
There is no medicine that kills the measles virus. Treatment aims to ease symptoms until the body's immune system clears the infection.
- Give the child lots to drink. Ice lollies are a useful way of giving extra fluid and keeping cool.
- Give paracetamol liquid (Calpol, Disprol, etc) regularly to ease fever and aches and pains. Ibuprofen is an alternative.
- Keep the child cool.
- Cough remedies have little benefit on the cough.
- Antibiotics do not kill the measles virus, and are not normally advised. They may be prescribed if a complication develops such as a ear infection or pneumonia. This is because in these complications bacteria may add to the infection (secondary bacterial infection). Antibiotics kill bacteria and help in these complications.
When to see a doctor?
Most children recover. However, you can expect to nurse a miserable child for a few days. A doctor will normally confirm that the illness is measles. See a doctor again if symptoms get worse, or if you suspect a complication (see above). The main symptoms to look out for are:
- Drowsiness.
- Dehydration. This may be developing if the child drinks little, passes little urine, has a dry mouth and tongue, or becomes drowsy.
- Breathing difficulties.
- Convulsion (fit).
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stephen clarke, about 1 year
alot of mums would straight away think menigites if you could put a meningites picture and a measels picture side by side and labled they could compaire differences
Report this commentMarie Warrington, over 2 years
Thank you so much for all the helpful information on measles. My four year old son has been diagnosed this morning and all the doctor was interested in was the fact that I had not allowed my son to have the MMR. I was extremely distressed after leaving the doctors surgery as I was only told about the complications and how ill I had made my son. Thanks to your information i feel a bit easier and now know what i am up against and also what to look out for with the complications. Thanks again
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lidnsey, 26 days
wat chu mean joe
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