A Case Series of Adult Measles from a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India

Measles or rubeola is caused by an enveloped single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus in the Paramyxoviridae family. Here, we present five adult measles patients. The laboratory confirmation of measles by serology/polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out in the National Measles Laboratory as per WHO standard operating procedure at the Department of Virology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. All of the patients presented with prodromal fever with rash. Diffuse erythematous maculopapular rash in a centrifugal manner was present. Measles was diagnosed based on clinical examination findings and positive serology or PCR reports from throat swab specimens. Two patients had a history of exposure; other patients denied any exposure. All of the patients were admitted and managed conservatively in the isolation ward during the period of infectivity.