A Study on Measles Epidemic in Sukagawa Area, Fukushima Prefecture from 2002 to 2003

Abstract

Measles epidemic occurred in southern part of Fukushima Prefecture from April 2002 to July 2003. Public Iwase hospital in Sukagawa City was the central hospital in the measles epidemic area and 382 patients with measles were admitted to the hospital during the epidemic. Based on clinical records, age distribution, vaccination history, familiar infection and complications were retrospectively investigated. Moreover, the vaccination rates and their calculating methods in the area were compared and the problems on immunization against measles were discussed. As the result, we found that 1) measles epidemic centered on unvaccinated infants, 2) measles was still serious disease with many complications and sometimes fatal, 3) measles was highly infectious and there was no way for prevention except vaccination, 4) the actual condition of measles vaccination was not reflected exactly by the current calculating methods used for the local health reports by the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. For the prevention of measles epidemic, it is necessary to know the exact numbers of patients infected with measles and patients deceased due to measles, to calculate precise vaccination rate, and to form the consensus among parents, physicians and administrators to control measles epidemic by the vaccination.