Retrospective Analysis of the Epidemiological Profile of Measles in 2022 in Mali

Abstract

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the morbillivirus of which humans are the only reservoir. Our descriptive study aims at analyzing retrospective measles surveillance data from 2022. Of the 2037 suspected measles case samples received at the laboratory, 784 (38%) were confirmed. The age group of 1-4 years is the most affected with an attack rate of 25.43 per 100,000 inhabitants. Children under 5 represent 47.71% of cases. The median age is 4 years and the average age 6.14 years (0 months-54 years). The male sex represents 51% of cases with a sex ratio of 1.06 and an attack rate of 9.72 per 100,000 inhabitants. Most confirmed measles cases (71.77%) were recorded during the dry season. The districts of Koutiala (140 cases: 17.85%), Sikasso (127 cases: 16.19%), Ségou (109 cases: 13.09%) and Bougouni (98 cases: 12.5%) record the most case. The average time for feedback from the laboratory was 3.95 days. Moreover, among the 1253 sample cases negative for measles, 8.22% were positive for rubella. The median age of patients was 6 years. Children under five are the most affected. Most of these cases are in unvaccinated people. The establishment of an enhanced vaccination program at country level considering the most affected groups could reduce the resurgence of measles epidemics. Keywords: Epidemic, Measles, Mali, Notifiable disease (MADO), Spatiotemporal.