Measles begins with a temperature, runny nose, red watery eyes and a cough.These may be present for about 3 days before the appearance of small white spots inside the cheeks. These are then closely followed by the rash which generally begins on the face and moves down the body covering the legs last.
The rash is seen as flat red patches. There may be so many spots that they merge to form large red areas. It generally lasts about 5 days.
Measles is rare as children are vaccinated against it as part of the primary immunisation programme. However, if you suspect that your child may have measles it is very important to visit the GP as this disease can cause serious complications.