Measles? / Rubella? (acute viral infection)

Gabriel Metsu
1629, Leiden – 1667, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Gabriel Metsu was born in Leiden, the son of a Flemish painter who had moved north. He was a pupil of Gerrit Dou, a painter of genre scenes and the founder of the so-called ‘school of fine painters’, which was characterised by its exquisite finish.

♦ The sick child ♦

A child with a fever, a bowl of porridge on a small table, and a worried mother.

♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: Fever, measles-like rash, vasospasms on the face and legs.
Additional symptoms: Young girl, aged 6–10 years, well-developed, normal weight.
Clinical diagnosis: Acute viral infection, measles? (rubeola?)

♦ Definition: measles
An acute infectious disease characterised by a measles-like rash and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract. After an incubation period of approximately two weeks, the disease begins with a cold, a cough, conjunctivitis and the appearance of Koplik’s spots on the mucous membrane of the mouth.
On the 3rd or 4th day, the patient develops a fever and dark pink to red papular spots, usually first on the face or behind the ears. These are grouped in crescent shapes and sometimes merge into one another.
After 3–4 days, these spots gradually fade and are followed by peeling of the skin.
The symptoms are at their worst when the rash appears.
The disease is caused by a virus, mainly affects children, is extremely contagious, and a single bout of the disease usually confers lifelong immunity.

♦ Discussion
The child is suffering from an acute illness, as – apart from the fever – she is still in good health. She may well have been playing outside just a few hours earlier, when she was suddenly overcome by chills, loss of appetite and weakness in her legs.
Any viral or bacterial infection can start in this way. Only the rash and the knowledge that children in the neighbourhood or at the same school have had measles can lead to a correct diagnosis.

Source: Jan Dequeker

Jan Dequeker
The artist and the doctor are looking at paintings.

Photos
wikipedia.org
wikimedia.org