Measles outbreak in an asylum-seekers' shelter in Germany: comparison of the implemented with a hypothetical containment strategy

Abstract

SUMMARYIn order to contain a measles outbreak in a German asylum-seekers' shelter, serological testing of all residents was performed, followed by selective vaccination of those with negative test results/ not tested. In this paper we describe the outbreak epidemiologically and then compare the implemented strategy with a hypothetical mass vaccination of all individuals unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status born after 1970 as recommended by the German Standing Committee on Vaccination in terms of potentially avoided cases, logistics, and costs. Three hundred (70 %) residents participated in the serological testing, of which 39 (13 %) were seronegative. In total, 144 individuals were eligible for vaccination, while a mass vaccination would have targeted 359 persons. However, serological testing was time-and personnel consuming and revealed several logistical problems. Its costs amounted to E90 000, double that of mass vaccination that additionally might have avoided three of the eight cases. Mass vaccination seems the preferred measure for measles outbreak control in such settings.

Ausbrüche von Infektionskrankheiten in Gemeinschaftsunterkünften für Asylsuchende 2004–2014 in Deutschland

“…Häufiger als Übertragungen von importierten Infektionen [5,6] sind bisher Ausbrüche durch in Europa erworbene Infektionen unter Migranten beschrieben worden [4,[7][8][9][10][11].…”

Microbiological screenings for infection control in unaccompanied minor refugees: the German Armed Forces Medical Service’s experience

“…These infections demonstrate the importance of appropriate hygiene protocols. Mass vaccination against measles was identified to be a cost-efficient approach to prevent outbreaks [16], but it requires a sufficient capacity of qualified personnel to cope with the sudden rises in patient numbers, especially in young refugees. Immediate vaccination without prior serological testing for pre-existing antibodies was performed in line with local standards [17] after the exclusion of medical contradictions and appropriate medical consulting for the UMRs.…”

Immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases in Finnish pediatric healthcare workers in 2015

“…As thousands of asylum seekers from countries with disrupted vaccination programs have entered Europe and Finland during the previous year, diseases that have been rare or nonexistent in Finland may reappear with this trend. Examples of this have already been seen in Europe as Germany and France have experienced measles epidemics among the asylum seekers [5,14], and polio cases have been reported during the war in Syria [15]. …”