Patient information · Paediatrics and infectious disease
Measles
back in circulation, and far from trivial
Measles is not a mild childhood rash. It is among the most contagious infections known, one in five cases needs hospital care, and it is now circulating in the UK again as vaccination coverage has fallen. If you suspect it, the most important thing you can do is phone before going anywhere.
Call 999 or seek emergency care if there is
- difficulty breathing, rapid breathing or chest pain
- drowsiness, confusion, or a seizure
- a severe headache with a stiff neck or dislike of light
- signs of dehydration — no urine for 12 hours, dry mouth, no tears
- severe ear pain, or a productive cough with high fever after the rash has faded
Around one in five people with measles needs hospital treatment. Complications include pneumonia, ear infection, and rarely encephalitis. Phone ahead before attending any healthcare setting — measles spreads through the air and remains infectious in a room for up to two hours after the person has left. In an emergency call 999 and tell them measles is suspected.
Phone before you attend — do not simply turn up
Measles is airborne and extraordinarily infectious: around nine out of ten susceptible people exposed to it will catch it. Walking into a waiting room exposes babies too young for vaccination, pregnant women and immunosuppressed patients. Call us on 020 7916 0029, or NHS 111, and we will arrange assessment in a way that protects other people — usually a phone or video consultation first, and a separate entrance and room if you need to be seen.
Recognising it
- It starts like a heavy cold: high fever, cough, runny nose and red sore watery eyes. The fever is usually high — often 40°C.
- Koplik spots — tiny white spots like grains of salt inside the cheeks — may appear a day or two before the rash and are close to diagnostic.
- The rash appears three to five days in, starting at the hairline and behind the ears, then spreading down the body over three days. Flat red-brown blotches that run together. On darker skin it may be harder to see — feel for the raised texture and look for it on the palms and soles.
- The child usually looks and feels genuinely unwell, which is a useful distinction from most viral rashes.
Care at home
- Plenty of fluids, in small frequent amounts.
- Paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever and discomfort. Never aspirin under 16.
- Keep lights dim if the eyes are sore; clean crusting from the eyelids with cooled boiled water.
- Rest — recovery typically takes seven to ten days, and tiredness lingers longer.
- There is no antiviral treatment. Vitamin A is given in some cases and should only be taken on medical advice.
Isolation and who to tell
- Stay off school, nursery or work for four full days after the rash appears, and avoid contact with others in that time.
- Keep away from babies under one, pregnant women, and anyone immunosuppressed — measles in pregnancy risks miscarriage, prematurity and stillbirth, and in immunosuppressed people it can be life-threatening.
- Measles is a notifiable disease. We must inform public health, who will contact people who may have been exposed and offer them protection.
- If you are pregnant, or immunosuppressed, and have been in contact with measles, contact us urgently — there is preventive treatment, but it is time-limited.
MMR — and it is not just for children
Two doses of MMR give around 99% protection and are free on the NHS at any age. A great many adults born in the 1980s and 1990s had only one dose, or none, and are not protected. If you are unsure of your status, having another dose is safe even if you have had one before. Ask us to check — particularly before travelling, before pregnancy, or if you work in healthcare or education. Since January 2026 the combined MMRV vaccine also covers chickenpox for younger children.
Call us before attending if you suspect measles in yourself or your child, if you have been exposed and are unsure of your vaccination status, or if you are pregnant and have been in contact with a case. We can arrange safe assessment, testing and MMR vaccination.
MMR vaccination, any age
Call 020 7916 0029 before attending if measles is suspected. Open seven days a week.
Tower Bridge Hospital London
97–99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT
WhatsApp 07903 284 189
info@mhwclinic.co.uk
Open Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm (closed Sundays until September)
In an emergency
Call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
When we are closed and it is not an emergency
Call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.