Current Issues on Measles: The Nigeria Perspective

Abstract

The main cause of this severe chronic illness is the measles virus. Measles affects people of all ages, despite the fact that it is typically thought to be a childhood disease, and the majority of people only acquire it once in their lives. The disease is brought on by the measles virus, a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus that belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae and genus Morbillivirus. Prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases of the measles had been dropping internationally for the previous 20 years. Nigeria is one of the major African countries where the illness has been reported by health experts, indicating that there are more instances than usual. The case fatality rate (CFR) in Nigeria's north-central region was the highest at 4.38%, while the CFR in the south-west was the lowest at 0.17%. The first sign of measles is typically a high fever that begins 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus and lasts for 4 to 7 days. The hallmark symptoms include the four-day fever (the 4 Ds), cough, coryza (head cold, fever, sneezing), conjunctivitis (red eyes), and maculopapular rash. The case fatality rate (CFR) in Nigeria's north-central region was the highest at 4.38%, while the CFR in the south-west was the lowest at 0.17%. Measles often begins with a high fever that lasts for 4 to 7 days after exposure to the virus. Typical symptoms include the four-day fever (the 4 D's), cough, coryza (head cold, fever, sneezing), conjunctivitis (red eyes), and a maculopapular rash.