A. Measles – Explanation
This is a classic case of measles. The rash seen on his buccal mucosa is called Koplik
spots. He was not given routine immunizations which include measles, mumps and
rubella (MMR) vaccine which if he had the first jab, could have decreased his chance of
developing measles.
spots. He was not given routine immunizations which include measles, mumps and
rubella (MMR) vaccine which if he had the first jab, could have decreased his chance of
developing measles.
The distractor here is rubella which can present almost exactly like measles. The key
features commonly seen in questions if rubella (instead of measles) were to be the
answer is:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Spots on soft palate (Forschhemier spots) (in measles, the spots are on the buccal
mucosa and are called Koplik spots)
Measles
Mnemonics to remember
Hard K sounds → Koplik spots, Cough, Conjunctivitis, Coryza
Features
– prodrome: irritable, conjunctivitis, fever
– Koplik spots (before rash): white spots (‘grain of salt’) on buccal mucosa
– maculopapular rash: starts behind ears then to whole body
