The measles epidemic trend over the past 30 years in a central district in Shanghai, China

Abstract

BackgroundMeasles vaccination over the past 50 years has greatly reduced the incidence of measles. However, measles among migrants and the resulting changes in epidemiological characteristics have brought new challenges to the elimination of measles. We aim to describe the measles epidemic trend over the past 30 years in a central district in Shanghai, China.MethodsThe present study was conducted in the Jing’an District, which is located in the center of Shanghai. Based on historical surveillance data of measles, we calculated the incidence of measles among local residents and migrants separately. Next, we classified all of the cases of the measles among local residents between 1984 and 2015 into 8 age groups and 5 birth cohorts. Finally, we calculated the measles incidence in each time period by the different age groups and birth cohorts, to understand the measles epidemic trend over past 30 years in the Jing'an District.ResultsA total of 103 cases of measles were reported from the Jing’an District, Shanghai, from 1984 to 2015. For infants less than 1 year of age and adults over 30 years of age, the incidence of measles continued to rise over the past 30 years. For a specific birth cohort, the incidence of measles after measles vaccination declined initially, and was then followed by a rebound.ConclusionsThe incidence of measles in older adults and infants increased in some developed regions, which slows the process of measles elimination. This suggested that the population immunity against measles after measles vaccination would gradually reduce with time. We recommend supplemental immunization against measles in adults in order to reduce the immunity decline, especially for migrants.

Enhancement of safety and immunogenicity of the Chinese Hu191 measles virus vaccine by alteration of the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) binding site in the large polymerase protein

“…However, epidemiological study showed that this vaccine still causes some adverse effects that may cause public health burden. In addition to the safety issue, measles outbreaks have been increasing in recent years, likely due to gradual reducing of the population immunity against measles after vaccination with time ( Abad and Safdar, 2015 , Gao et al, 2017 , Ma et al, 2016 , Zhang et al, 2016 ). In this study, we sought to improve the safety and efficacy of current MV vaccine by mutating the SAM binding site in the L protein.…”

“…Additionally, outbreaks of measles have been increasing significantly in the past a few years in China, particularly the increasing proportion of adult and infant cases ( Ma et al, 2016 , Zhang et al, 2016 ). The infected adults had received measles vaccination during childhood; still remain susceptible to infection with the measles virus, as the population immunity against measles after vaccination gradually reduces with time ( Abad and Safdar, 2015 , Gao et al, 2017 , Ma et al, 2016 , Zhang et al, 2016 ). Thus, there is an increasing urgency to develop a safer, more efficient MV vaccine for eradication of measles in China.…”

Economic burden and associated factors of measles patients in Zhejiang Province, China

“…The demographic structure of the province also changed as a result of this migration, leading to a high incidence rate of measles in adults and newborn babies less than 8 months old resulting in increased health-care investments. 7 There is an increased government need for evidence-based data to optimize the allocation of health resources and enhance their utilization efficiency. Studies on disease burden not only help gather a better understanding of the impact of measles but also provide evidence and data for further economic evaluation of vaccines and strategies for measles prevention and control.…”