What are the measles? What is measles and what causes it? Measles is an infectious childhood disease that causes a skin rash. The rubeola virus causes it. It is also called red measles or seven-day measles. Although a childhood disease it can affect adults, too. Once a rite of childhood, measles has become much less common in North America. Measles is considered the most serious contagious childhood disease because of the complications associated with it: …showed first 75 words of 788 total…

…showed last 75 words of 788 total…severe headache and stiff neck, bleeding from the nose or mouth or into the skin or dark purple splotches on the skin. See your doctor if any of these problems are present: Sore throat, earache or tugging at the ears, yellow discharge from the eyes or nose, labored breathing, fever that comes back after temperature that has been normal for a day or more or fever that continues past the fourth day of the rash.