From the Guidelines
Measles requires airborne precautions in healthcare settings due to its highly contagious nature. The virus spreads through respiratory droplets and airborne particles that can remain suspended in the air for an extended period after an infected person has left the area 1. Healthcare workers should implement strict airborne isolation measures, including placing patients in negative pressure rooms, using N95 respirators or higher-level protection when entering the room, and limiting patient movement outside the room.
Key Precautions
- Airborne infection–control precautions should be followed stringently when a person suspected of having measles visits a healthcare facility 1.
- The patient should be asked immediately to wear a medical mask and should be placed in an airborne-infection isolation room as soon as possible 1.
- If an airborne-infection isolation room is not available, the patient should be placed in a private room with the door closed and be asked to wear a mask 1.
- Only staff with presumptive evidence of immunity should enter the room of a person with suspect or confirmed measles, and all staff entering the room should use respiratory protection consistent with airborne infection–control precautions 1.
Importance of Vaccination
Vaccination remains the most effective preventive measure against measles infection. Available data suggest that live virus measles vaccine, if administered within 72 hours of measles exposure, will prevent or modify the disease 1. Healthcare workers without evidence of immunity should be offered the first dose of MMR vaccine and excluded from work from day 5–21 following exposure 1.
Secondary Measures
Contact precautions are also recommended as a secondary measure since the virus can spread through direct contact with infectious secretions. Respiratory precautions alone are insufficient for measles control. These comprehensive precautions are necessary because measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases, with a high reproduction number, meaning each infected person can infect multiple susceptible individuals in a population without immunity 1.
From the Research
Precautions for Measles
- The required precautions for measles include airborne precautions, as the virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets or direct contact 2.
- Hospital workers are required to wear N-95 masks and isolate patients in an airborne infection isolation room to prevent the spread of the virus 2.
- Transmission of measles is dependent on person-to-person spread through respiratory droplets or direct contact 3.
- Measles can be spread through the respiratory mode, and fever combined with cough, coryza, or conjunctivitis are the first manifestations of the disease 4.
Types of Precautions
- Airborne precautions: required to prevent the spread of measles virus through respiratory droplets 2, 3, 4.
- Respiratory precautions: may be necessary to prevent the spread of measles virus through respiratory droplets 3, 4.
- Contact precautions: may be necessary to prevent the spread of measles virus through direct contact 3.