Measles Q&As
Published by Bupa's health information team, January 2010.
Answers to questions about measles
This section contains answers to common questions about this topic. Questions have been suggested by health professionals, website feedback and requests via email.
- Are measles and German measles the same thing?
- Is it possible to die from measles?
- What is herd immunity?
Are measles and German measles the same thing?
No, they are unrelated conditions caused by different viruses.
Explanation
Measles and rubella (german measles) can be confused, but there are differences between the two diseases.
Rubella is generally a mild infection that is over quickly. Measles is usually a more serious condition and you will probably feel more ill than if you had rubella.
You may get small, red spots with white centres inside your mouth (Koplik spots) if you have measles. These aren't a symptom of rubella. The rash usually lasts longer (up to a week) if you have measles, whereas the rubella rash will probably only last for about three days.
Rubella has few complications whereas those for measles can be severe. However, rubella can be harmful to a pregnant woman's unborn baby if the mother doesn't have any immunity to the infection.
Further information
Health Protection Agency
www.hpa.org.uk
Sources
- Background information on measles. Health Protection Agency. www.hpa.org.uk, accessed 10 August 2009
- General information on rubella (German measles). Health Protection Agency. www.hpa.org.uk, accessed 10 August 2009
Is it possible to die from measles?
Across the world, hundreds of thousands of children die every year from the complications of measles, but it's rare for people in the UK to die from the disease.
Explanation
Measles affects people throughout the world; however the number of people who catch measles is much higher in poorer countries where the health systems are weak.
Across the world, around one million children die every year after catching measles. These children generally die from the complications that measles can cause, rather than the disease itself. However, in developed countries, such as the UK, it's rare for someone to die from the complications of measles.
Further information
Health Protection Agency
www.hpa.org.uk
Sources
- Measles. National Travel Health Network and Centre. www.nathnac.org, accessed 10 August 2009
- Measles: factsheet for schools - Wired for Health. Health Protection Agency. www.hpa.org.uk, accessed 10 August 2009
- Measles. Society for General Microbiology. www.sgm.ac.uk, accessed 10 August 2009
- Background information on measles. Health Protection Agency. www.hpa.org.uk, accessed 10 August 2009
- Measles. GP Notebook. www.gpnotebook.co.uk, accessed 10 August 2009
What is herd immunity?
When you're immunised against an infection such as measles, you help to build up immunity for your community as well as for yourself. This is called herd immunity. Herd immunity helps to protect the people around you who can't be immunised, for example very young babies and pregnant women.
Explanation
Herd immunity develops when you and others in your community are immunised. It creates a group resistance to an infection such as measles.
If you have been immunised, you're less likely to catch measles and therefore to pass it on to anyone else. If enough people are immunised, it will protect those who can't be immunised, for example, very young babies, children who have weakened immune systems and pregnant women. For herd immunity to work, a minimum number of people in every community have to be immunised. There are a number of factors that affect how many people need to be immunised.
The more infectious an illness is, the greater the number of people who need to be immunised. Because measles is highly infectious, at least 95 out of every 100 people need to be immunised to create herd immunity. For diseases that are less infectious, fewer people need to be immunised to create herd immunity.
The environment that you live in can affect the number of people needed to create herd immunity. If you live in a crowded place, for example in an inner city, you're more likely to catch measles than if you live in the countryside. This is because you're in much closer contact with other people and it's easier for the virus to spread. The more contact you have with other people and the closer you live to them, the more people will need to be immunised to create herd immunity.
As time passes, the number of people who have been immunised gets bigger. As this happens the number of people who catch measles every year should fall until it's only a very few. For example, in Finland the number of children immunised was so high that nobody caught measles at all at the end of the 1990s. However, cases of measles are now being reported in Finland, as fewer children are being immunised against the disease. Many doctors are concerned that because fewer parents are having their children immunised against measles in the UK, herd immunity will stop working here and there is a risk of a measles epidemic.
If you have any questions or concerns about having your child immunised against measles, speak to your GP or nurse for more information.
Further information
Health Protection Agency
www.hpa.org.uk
Sources
- Vaccines and immunisation. Society for General Microbiology. www.sgm.ac.uk, accessed 20 August 2009
- Berger A. How does herd immunity work? BMJ 1999; 319:1462-67 www.bmj.com
- Peltola H, Jokinen S, Paunio M, et al. Measles, mumps and rubella in Finland: 25 years of a nationwide elimination programme. Lancet Infect Diseases 2008; 8 (12):796-803. www.thelancet.com
Related topics
This information was published by Bupa's health information team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been peer reviewed by Bupa doctors. The content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.
Publication date: January 2010
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