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Measles Research Paper

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Measles is a highly contagious disease, and it is an uncomfortable illness. It may be a short period of time to be affected, but some things can be permanent if left uncared for. There are many key characteristics of the illness, and the way it gets into the body is very simple, and works well.

STRUCTURE

Measles is a highly contagious disease that has lasted for a long time throughout history. The virus structure (in the picture above) is set up to disguise itself from the immune system. It has a single strand of RNA, and it is a round shape. There is an envelope around the outside of the virus, and when the virus leaves a host cell, it takes part of the membrane to build its envelope. The viral genome is covered by a protein called N, which is a nucleocapsid protein. The other proteins in the virus are called L, and P, which replicate the virus and create new proteins. There are two …show more content…

Also, if someone with the Measles virus touches a surface, the virus can live on that surface for several hours, and infects anyone else who touches it. It is a short period of illness, lasting about 10-12 days. There is generally no lasting damage from the illness, although in some cases, people with Measles get Pneumonia, or encephalitis, meaning that their brain swells up. It is fairly rare for someone to die of Measles, however, there are many complications that can come with the Measles virus, causing death. For example, ear infections, bronchitis, miscarriages and preterm labour, decrease in blood platelets, blindness, severe diarrhea, pneumonia, and swelling of the brain. In some cases, there is also a risk of hearing loss. If not properly cared for, somebody with Measles could develop one of these complications, and there would be a risk of death. Anyone in close proximity with an infected person is at risk of getting this

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