Measles (Rubeola)

Diagnosis

The doctor will check for signs of a congested nose, red eyes, Koplik's spots and the typical measles rash. Your doctor will ask if you have been traveling outside of the country or been exposed to anyone who has measles or an undiagnosed rash. Even if you did not have face-to-face contact with an infected person, your doctor will want to know if you attend the same school, live in the same household or dormitory or work in the same building. Your doctor also will check your medical records to see if and when you were immunized against measles, and the number of doses of measles vaccine, always given now as part of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) shot.

To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor may order blood tests to look for specific antibodies against the measles virus. Antibodies are substances made by the immune system to protect against an infection.

Expected Duration

The symptoms of measles usually last about 10 days.