Making the Diagnosis
It's important to detect measles as soon as possible, since the disease
is contagious at an early stage. Common signs and symptoms such as rash,
mild itching, fever, cough, sneezing, and red eyes are easily noticeable and
useful to diagnose measles.
If someone who's never had measles complains of cold or flu-like symptoms,
looking inside the person's mouth can tell a lot. There are small, red,
irregular spots called Koplik's spots that develop on the inside of the
cheeks, near the molars. Each spot will have a whitish or bluish center. Koplik's
spots are a sure sign of measles and appear about two days after initial symptoms,
which is about two days before the rash develops. Once doctors see these spots
in the mouth, they usually don't bother with blood or tissue tests to make the
diagnosis.