Analysing the characteristics of measles outbreak in Houaphanh province to guide measles elimination in Lao People’s Democratic Republic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.v9i3.537Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, the incidence of measles has reduced in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). However, an outbreak was reported in August 2014 in Houaphanh province, which was one of the largest outbreaks since 2008. This report summarizes the characteristics of this outbreak and explores options for Lao PDR towards its measles elimination efforts.
Methods: All fever and rash cases with an onset between 01 September 2014 and 25 October 2014 in Khouan and Samtai districts were investigated. Additionally, active case searches and health facility record reviews were carried out. Appropriate samples were collected from the cases to confirm the diagnosis.
Results: A total of 265 cases including 12 deaths were reported from 8 villages in Khouan and Samtai districts. Forty five cases tested positive for measles IgM. Most of the confirmed cases were male, aged less than 5 years and from Hmong community. Majority of the suspected and all the confirmed cases were unvaccinated. A measles vaccination campiagn conducted in the affected villages after the outbreak detection resulted in 76% coverage of the targeted population.
Discussion: Low routine coverage in the affected districts and the unvaccinated measles cases suggest pockets of under-immunized areas. The outbreak which affected a specific ethnicity in particular highlighted the need of community-specific tailored vaccination and communication strategies to close any immunity gap. A highly sensitive surveillance system coupled with strengthened outreach vaccination programmes including introduction of second dose of measles in the immunization schedule will be essential for Lao PDR to attain its measles elimination status.
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