Risk factors for measles mortality and the importance of decentralized case management during an unusually large measles epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013

PLoS One. 2018 Mar 14;13(3):e0194276. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194276. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

In 2013, a large measles epidemic occurred in the Aketi Health Zone of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We conducted a two-stage, retrospective cluster survey to estimate the attack rate, the case fatality rate, and the measles-specific mortality rate during the epidemic. 1424 households containing 7880 individuals were included. The estimated attack rate was 14.0%, (35.0% among children aged <5 years). The estimated case fatality rate was 4.2% (6.1% among children aged <5 years). Spatial analysis and linear regression showed that younger children, those who did not receive care, and those living farther away from Aketi Hospital early in the epidemic had a higher risk of measles related death. Vaccination coverage prior to the outbreak was low (76%), and a delayed reactive vaccination campaign contributed to the high attack rate. We provide evidences suggesting that a comprehensive case management approach reduced measles fatality during this epidemic in rural, inaccessible resource-poor setting.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Case Management*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo / epidemiology
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Epidemics
  • Female
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Measles / epidemiology*
  • Measles / history
  • Measles / mortality
  • Measles / prevention & control
  • Mortality
  • Population Surveillance
  • Risk Factors
  • Vaccination Coverage
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The study was funded by the Operational Centre of Geneva of Médecins Sans frontières.