In 2012, the World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Vaccine Action Plan with the objective to eliminate measles in four World Health Organization (WHO) regions by 2015. Member states of all six WHO regions have adopted measles elimination goals. In 2010, the World Health Assembly established three milestones for 2015: 1) increase routine coverage with the first dose of measles-containing vac...

BACKGROUND Routine vaccination supplemented by planned campaigns occurring at 2-5 y intervals is the core of current measles control and elimination efforts. Yet, large, unexpected outbreaks still occur, even when control measures appear effective. Supplementing these activities with mass vaccination campaigns triggered when low levels of measles immunity are observed in a sample of the populat...

Recent mumps outbreaks have evoked concerns of decreasing mumps immunity among adolescents and adults, including US military recruits subject to differing mumps immunization policies. To compare mumps incidence and to assess initial measles, mumps and rubella seropositivity, we conducted a cohort study among recruits from 2000 to 2004. Mumps incidence in the targeted MMR and universal MMR cohor...

Surveillance for measles must be enhanced to support the objective of measles elimination in the United States. Many conditions produce febrile rash illnesses that are clinically similar to measles; investigations of measleslike illnesses (MLIs) should occur regardless of the incidence of measles. Few data exist regarding the incidence of MLI in the United States, and it is unknown how provider...

BACKGROUND A measles outbreak occurred in Maroua, Cameroon, from January 2008 to April 2009. In accordance with recent World Health Organization guidelines, an outbreak-response immunization (ORI) was conducted in January 2009. The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of the epidemic in order to guide vaccination strategies. METHODS We performed a stratified household-based survey ...

Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine preventable disease. Measles results in a systemic illness which causes profound immunosuppression often leading to severe complications. In 2010, the World Health Assembly declared that measles can and should be eradicated. Measles has been eliminated in the Region of the Americas, and the remaining five regions of the World Health Organization (WHO) hav...

Machado et al1 should be congratulated on seizing the opportunity of the 1997 measles outbreak in São Paulo, Brazil, for learning about measles in marrow transplant recipients. Per the report, only 8 of 156 patients (5.1%) developed measles, and only 1 patient (0.6%) had a severe disease (measles pneumonia). But both the incidence and the severity of measles were likely underestimated. Measles ...

BACKGROUND Since the introduction of measles vaccine to the vaccination schedule, the burden of measles has substantially fallen in Australia. Despite this, a number of recent measles outbreaks have occurred. The aim of this study was to examine the burden of measles in Australia using notification, hospitalisation and mortality data with the objectives of setting a baseline for comparison prio...

During an outbreak of measles in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, 9 patients (age range 4 months to 18 years) were diagnosed with subcutaneous emphysema. Incidence of this rare complication of measles in this refugee camp was higher than previously reported. We hypothesize that the high incidence is most likely related to poor physical state of the refugee population with high rates of malnutrition.

Two hundred and ninety cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) registered in England and Wales from 1970 to 1989 were followed at 6-monthly intervals. Male to female ratio was 2.8:1. Age at onset increased significantly over the period. Measles was recorded for 81% of cases; in nearly half this had occurred under 2 years. Measles vaccine was documented in 20 cases; in 10 measles was...