Evaluation of Epidemiological Determinants Influencing Measles among Children with History of Measles Vaccination

Measles is an acute viral infection caused by a virus belonging to Paramyxovirus family. As per WHO, there were 1,22,000 measles deaths globally in 2012.2 That means 330 deaths every day and 14 deaths every hour, the majority (85%) of which are reported from Asia. Also, about 84% world’s children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday.1 The live attenuated measles vaccine is believed to be safe, effective and provide long-lasting protection with a vaccine efficacy of 85 to 90% when given at the age of 9-11 months. Despite increased coverage of measles vaccination with effective vaccine, morbidity due to measles was still found to be high. Studies have been carried out in Nigeria by Faneye AO et al. where in 143 (62.4%) children who were admitted for measles, of these, 79 (55.3%) had been vaccinated for measles, while 65 (44.7%) had not. In another study by Nkowane BM et al. reveals a measles outbreak amongst vaccinated school children in a city near Boston.3,4 This study strives to investigate clinical profile of patients who contracted measles infection despite history of measles vaccination. Also, compare profile of vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients who suffered from measles. Thus enabling us to identify determinants influencing occurrence of measles amongst vaccinated children.