Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN. In this video, I'm going to continue my coverage of infectious diseases within the pediatric population. Specifically, I'll be talking about measles, rubella, and mumps. And at the end of the video, I'm going to give you guys a little quiz to test your understanding of some of the key points I'll be covering. So definitely stay tuned for that. And if you have our Level Up RN pediatric nursing flashcards, definitely pull out your flashcards so you can follow along with me, and pay close attention to the bold red text on the back of the cards because those are the things you are likely to see show up on a nursing school exam.
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that is also known as rubeola. It is spread through the airborne route, and the incubation period is approximately 7 to 18 days. Of note, measles is preventable with the MMR vaccination. Initial signs and symptoms of measles include a fever, dry cough, runny nose, and red watery eyes. We will then have the appearance of Koplik spots, which are small white spots inside the mouth. And then we'll have a maculopapular rash that will appear on the face and then spread down to the rest of the body. Treatment is supportive, which includes acetaminophen or NSAIDs for fever or pain. In addition, vitamin A can be used to decrease the severity and length of the viral infection. And then as a reminder, we would never give the child aspirin because that can cause Reye syndrome, which is a life-threatening disorder that affects the brain and liver. So as the nurse caring for a child with measles, you should initiate airborne precautions and continue those precautions for four days after resolution of the child's rash.
Now let's talk about rubella. This is a contagious viral illness that is spread through respiratory droplets. The incubation period is approximately 12 to 23 days. And just like measles, rubella is preventable with the MMR vaccination. Signs and symptoms include a low-grade fever and malaise, followed by a rash that starts on the face and neck and then spreads to the rest of the body. Of note, some individuals with rubella may be asymptomatic. Cases of rubella in children are typically mild and self-resolving, so treatment is usually not necessary. In terms of nursing care, you would place a patient with rubella on droplet precautions. And then it's super important to limit the child's contact with pregnant women because a maternal infection can spread to the developing fetus and can cause very serious birth defects.
Lastly, let's talk about mumps, which is a contagious viral illness that is spread through respiratory droplets. The incubation period is approximately 7 to 21 days. And like the last two diseases we talked about, mumps is preventable with the MMR vaccination. Signs and symptoms include a fever, headache, anorexia, so decreased appetite, as well as swelling of the testes and parotid glands. So our cool chicken hint to help you remember these very important symptoms is mumps can cause neck lumps and testicular bumps. Treatment of mumps is supportive and would include acetaminophen or NSAIDs to address fever and pain. Again, aspirin would never be used due to the risk for Reye syndrome. And then as the nurse caring for a patient with mumps, droplet precautions should be initiated. And then for the patient's neck pain, warm or cool compresses can be used, and then cold compresses and elevation can help with testicular pain. You also want to monitor for complications such as hearing loss, meningitis, and encephalitis, just to name a few.
All right. It's quiz time. And in this particular quiz, I want you to name that viral illness. So the answer to each question will be measles, rubella, or mumps, which are the three viral illnesses that we went over in this video. Are you guys ready? Let's go.
Question number 1, Koplik spots are indicative of which viral illness?
The answer is measles.
Question number 2, which viral illness is associated with swelling of the testes?
The answer is mumps.
Number 3, which viral illness can lead to hearing loss?
The answer is mumps.
Question number 4, exposure to which viral illness during pregnancy can lead to serious birth defects?
The answer is rubella. And question number 5, which viral illness requires airborne precautions?
The answer is measles.
All right. I hope you did great with that quiz, and I hope you found this video to be helpful. If so, be sure to hit that like button and let me know in the comments what you found to be particularly helpful.
