Measles Masked By Covid-19: A Literature Review

Abstract

Measles is one of the world’s most infectious communicable diseases. Although almost entirely preventable by vaccine, there have been recent case surges, with almost 9.8 million cases reported globally in 2019, the highest seen since 1996. This spike in measles cases, can be attributed to several factors including vaccine hesitancy, low vaccine confidence, international travel, and poor access to vaccines. While measles cases appear to be declining across the globe since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a catastrophic measles resurgence following the pandemic is likely. With the increased public health demands related to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare resources have been prioritized differently, resulting in disruptions in measles case surveillance, investigation, and vaccination efforts. This shift has resulted in many measles vaccination campaigns being postponed, resulting in a large measles immunity gap in some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. With first dose measles coverage rates stagnating at 85% and likely dropping with the recent halt of many vaccination campaigns, strategic measles vaccination interventions are urgently needed.