Impact of the 1996–1997 supplementary measles vaccination campaigns in South Africa

Background In South Africa, as part of an effort to eliminate indigenous measles by 2002, vaccination campaigns were conducted in 1996–1997 targeting all children aged 9 months to 14 years; coverage was estimated at 85%. The impact of the campaigns on measles disease burden was evaluated in 1999. Me...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of epidemiology 2002-10, Vol.31 (5), p.968-976
Main Authors: Uzicanin, Amra, Eggers, Rudi, Webb, Elize, Harris, Bernice, Durrheim, Dave, Ogunbanjo, Gboyega, Isaacs, Veronica, Hawkridge, Anthony, Biellik, Robin, Strebel, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Male
Measles
Measles - epidemiology
Measles - mortality
Measles - prevention & control
Measles Vaccine - administration & dosage
Retrospective Studies
South Africa
South Africa - epidemiology
Time Factors
vaccination
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background In South Africa, as part of an effort to eliminate indigenous measles by 2002, vaccination campaigns were conducted in 1996–1997 targeting all children aged 9 months to 14 years; coverage was estimated at 85%. The impact of the campaigns on measles disease burden was evaluated in 1999. Methods We analysed routine measles surveillance data and undertook a retrospective review of hospital registers in two of South Africa’s nine provinces. Results In Mpumalanga in the pre-campaign years (1992–1996), 4498 measles cases and 6 deaths were reported; 182 cases and no deaths were reported in 1997–1998. Hospital registers showed 1647 measles hospitalizations and 11 deaths in the pre-campaign period, and 60 hospitalizations and no deaths after the campaign (1997–April 1999). In Western Cape in pre-campaign years (1992–1997), 5164 measles cases and 19 deaths were reported; 132 cases and no deaths were reported in 1998. Hospital registers showed 736 measles hospitalizations and 23 deaths in the pre-campaign period, and 29 measles hospitalizations and no deaths post-campaign (1998–July 1999). Conclusions Study findings indicate that reported measles cases, measles-related hospitalizations and deaths were considerably reduced in both provinces after the campaign compared with the pre-campaign period. Longer observation is needed to evaluate the long-term impact of the campaigns.
ISSN:0300-5771
1464-3685
1464-3685
DOI:10.1093/ije/31.5.968