Measles typically starts with common Flu symptoms of fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. So, it’s indistinguishable from the Flu and other common respiratory illnesses until the classic measles rash appears – usually 3 to 5 days after the fever and respiratory symptoms begin.
The rash appears as flat red spots along the hairline of the forehead and sides of the face. This spreads during that first day down to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. Small bumps that are slightly raised may appear on each flat spot. Individual spots may merge together into large splotches as the rash moves down the body.
By the time the rash appears, the person has been contagious since the start of symptoms and will spread the infection to susceptible people. Staying at home at the start of any respiratory illness with fever can help reduce the spread of measles. A person is no longer contagious around day 5 after the rash first appears.
Clues that your illness may be measles before the rash appears:
- Known exposure to the illness 7 to 14 days prior to getting sick
- Foreign travel, especially being around large groups of children and families in a foreign country
- Red eyes – high fever, cough, runny nose, AND red eyes don’t occur as a group in most other illnesses except the flu and measles.