Small spots with bluish white center are characteristic of which disease?

• A. Measles
• B. Chickenpox
• C. Rubella
• D. Scarlet fever

Answer: (A)

Koplik spots are the small bluish-white spots with a red border that appear on the inside of the cheeks early in measles. They show up before the characteristic rash and are highly distinctive for measles, helping confirm the diagnosis in a patient with fever and respiratory symptoms. These spots aren’t seen in the other listed diseases, which have different lesion patterns: chickenpox shows vesicles in various stages, rubella presents a lighter, quicker rash without Koplik spots, and scarlet fever features a sandpaper-like rash with sometimes a strawberry tongue. So, the bluish-white center spots point to measles.