Open AccessOutbreak of Measles in a Residential Home for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore in 2019
Author(s) -
Valerie T J Koh,
Calvin J Chiew,
Sean Wei Xiang Ong,
Khine Nandar,
Anne Lee,
Kelly Foo,
Lin Cui,
Yi Kai Ng,
Rachael Pung,
Tau Hong Lee,
Zubaidah Said,
Raymond Tzer Pin Lin,
David C. Lye,
Yee-Sin Leo,
Ver Lee
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2020.305820
Subject(s) - measles , outbreak , medicine , transmission (telecommunications) , vaccination , demography , population , herd immunity , environmental health , confidence interval , pediatrics , gerontology , immunology , virology , electrical engineering , sociology , engineering
A measles outbreak involving 19 adults in a home for the intellectually disabled occurred in Singapore in 2019. Further investigation, including a serological survey, was conducted. Mass vaccination and infection control measures were implemented, terminating further secondary transmission. Seropositivity among residents aged 40 to 49 years (90.7%; 95% confidence interval = 78.4%, 96.3%) was lower than among the Singapore adult population ( P < .001). This sheltered population, like others previously reported in the literature, had lower measles immunity than the general community, possibly because of limited social interaction. Targeted catch-up vaccination for similarly vulnerable populations should be considered.