Read condition-specific symptoms and clinical context for Measles morbillivirus. A highly contagious airborne virus that causes fever and a spreading rash.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. WHO describes a virus that infects the respiratory tract and then spreads through the body, with high fever, cough, runny nose and a body-wide rash. CDC states that up to 9 out of 10 unprotected people in close contact with someone who has measles become infected. This profile summarises possible illness; it cannot assess an individual infection.
CDC states that measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus, and that the rash follows the first symptoms by 3 to 5 days.
Possible symptoms: High fever; Cough; Runny nose; Red, watery eyes; Tiny white spots inside the mouth; Rash that begins on the face.
CDC asks people to call a healthcare provider immediately if they think they or their child have been exposed to measles. Severe complications include pneumonia and encephalitis, which may need hospital care.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.