Question:medium
Most serious complication of measles is:
Most serious complication of measles is:
Show Hint
Think CNS over ear or chest complications when ranking severity.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Croup
- Meningo-encephalitis
- Otitis media
- Pneumonia
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Clinical pearl: rank measles complications by how lethal they are, not how frequent. Otitis media and pneumonia (often from the post-measles immune suppression) are the commonest, so they tempt you, but neither is the most serious. Croup is a feature of other viral illnesses and is not the answer here. The CNS complication, acute meningo-encephalitis, occurs in roughly $0.1\%$ of cases and carries high morbidity and mortality, which makes it the most serious acute complication. Remember the chronic late counterpart, SSPE, appears years after the infection and is separate from the acute encephalitis asked about. So the single best answer is meningo-encephalitis.
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