How do you treat measles?

Not medical advice: There is no cure for measles, but the symptoms of the disease can be managed with acetaminophen, bed rest and a humidifier. If there are no further complications, the disease will run its course without issue. However, if complications occur, such as bronchitis, encephalitis, pneumonia, or ear infections, a doctor may prescribe an additional course of treatment.

Measles is highly contagious. If a person has the measles, then 90% of the people in close contact with that person will likely become infected, unless those people are immune either through vaccination, or by previously having the disease.

The CDC reported that the number of cases in the US during 2011 were the highest they had been in 15 years. There were no reported deaths in the US from measles last year, but worldwide there are approximately 164,000 deaths from measles each year.