Which precaution applies to measles in pediatrics?

• A. Airborne precautions.
• B. Droplet precautions.
• C. Contact precautions.
• D. Standard precautions.

Answer: (A)

Measles spreads through airborne particles, meaning fine aerosols can linger in the air and move beyond those in immediate proximity. Because of this high potential for airborne spread, protecting others requires airborne precautions. In a pediatric setting, this involves placing the patient in a private room with airborne isolation (preferably with appropriate ventilation, such as a negative-pressure room) and ensuring staff use a properly fitted respirator (like an N95) when entering the room. Standard precautions are not enough to stop inhalation of aerosols, and droplet precautions only address larger droplets, while contact precautions focus on touching contaminated surfaces. So the best protection is airborne precautions to prevent the airborne transmission of measles in children.