Abstract
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection and still a leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in Africa; especially in unvaccinated populations. We reviewed the medical reports of the measles outbreak that occurred in Misaje, in the North west region of Cameroon from 11/03/2015 to 14/05/2015. Six measles cases were recorded during this period; three of them complicated by bacterial infections. Measles should be considered as a differential diagnosis for any febrile rash especially among poorly vaccinated populations. Primary preventive methods implemented by clinicians could help control outbreaks; especially with delays in public health intervention. Also, gaps in health policies in Cameroon should be addressed to scale up vaccination coverage in remote communities like Misaje to reduce the incidence of measles outbreaks.
Highlights
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease with a 90% secondary infection rate and significant morbidity and mortality in children and pregnant women [1]
Some health districts still have a low vaccination coverage, with a reported 78% in Misaje in 2014 [6]. This represents a problem as over 95% of a population has to be immunised in order to eliminate measles [7]. In this case series study, we report 6 cases of measles and point out some flaws in public health policies that need to be addressed to help in the control of this disease
Blood samples were collected from all the cases and sent to a reference laboratory; Centre Pasteur du Cameroun (CPC) in the capital city: Yaoundé, for detection of Ig-M antibodies for confirmation of measles
Summary
Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious viral disease with a 90% secondary infection rate and significant morbidity and mortality in children and pregnant women [1]. Due to its lethal nature, the World Health Organisation (WHO) advocates for more efforts towards the control of this disease [2] These efforts should include: routine vaccination; supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs) and active surveillance [2,3,4,5]. Some health districts still have a low vaccination coverage, with a reported 78% in Misaje (a health area in the Nkambe health district, Northwest region of Cameroon) in 2014 [6]. This represents a problem as over 95% of a population has to be immunised in order to eliminate measles [7]. In this case series study, we report 6 cases of measles and point out some flaws in public health policies that need to be addressed to help in the control of this disease
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