The State - News from Nov. 3, 1988

An outbreak of measles with unusually harsh early symptoms, which have sent several victims to hospitals, has been reported by Riverside County authorities. Since early September, 53 suspected cases of rubeola or red measles have been reported. Most of the cases have been children ages 2 through 12, said Dr. Richard C. Thorson, the county’s disease control chief. Rubeola measles is more severe than rubella or German measles and can cause severe complications and even death in younger children. The unusual early symptoms in these cases have included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and at first fooled health officials. They obscured the normal measles symptoms of red, watery eyes and dry cough, Thorson said. The outbreak is the heaviest the county has experienced since at least 1980, Thorson said.