Measles Morbidity and Mortality Trend in Nigeria: A 10-Year Hospital-Based Retrospective Study in Lagos State, Nigeria

Year 2016, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 12 - 18, 01.03.2016

Akeeb O. Bola Oyefolu

https://doi.org/10.5799/jmid.328761

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Objective: This hospital-based retrospective cohort study was undertaken with a view to determine the epidemiological trend
of measles in Lagos State, Nigeria
Methods: Medical records of clinically diagnosed measles patients from nine referral public hospitals in Lagos State between
1998 and 2007 were retrieved, transcribed and reviewed. Data were analyzed using standard methods.
Results: A total of 35,500 clinically confirmed cases and 835 deaths (case fatality rate = 2.35%/10 years) were recorded. The
mean incidence was estimated at 19 cases per 100,000 population/year. A consistent seasonality pattern of measles was
observed for the study period. The under-fives accounted for the highest reported cases (76.30%) while, the under-1 year
recorded highest mortality (53.8%). Notable shift of measles vulnerability from under-1year to under-fives was observed. Although
there was significant difference between cases and deaths among the age groups (p<0.05), no difference was observed
in measles annual occurrences among the years under review and genders (p>0.05).
Conclusion: This study recorded high incidence and case fatality of measles, which poses serious public health threat. Poor
demographic data collection and storage were revealed thus, computerization of medical records for collection, storage and
retrieval of data is imperative for adequate planning and control of measles imperil in Nigeria. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2016;6(1):
12-18

Keywords

Measles, morbidity, mortality, seasonality, retrospective

References

• 1. World Health Organization. Measles Fact sheet No. 286. WHO Media Centre. Updated February 2014. http://www.who.int/ mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/. Accessed June 12,2014.
• 2. Okonko IO, Nkang AO, Udeze AO, et al. Global eradication of measles: a highly contagious and vaccine preventable disease-what went wrong in Africa? J Cell Anim Biol. 2009;3:119-140.
• 3. WHO/UNICEF. Review of National Immunization Coverage 1980-2001: Nigeria. WHO/UNICEF 2002:1-7.
• 4. Wolfson LJ, Strebel PM, Gacic-Dobo M, et al. Has the 2005 measles mortality reduction goal been achieved? A natural history modelling study. Lancet. 2007;369:191-200.
• 5. Arevshatiana L, Clementsb CJ, Lwangac SK, et al. An evaluation of infant immunization in Africa: is a transformation in progress? WHO Bull 2007;85:421-500.
• 6. World Health Organization. Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals: Measles. 2014. Available at http://www.who.int/immunization/diseases/measles/en/. Accessed June. 12,2014.
• 7. Drain PK. Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Immunization Programs. Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC): World Health organization (WHO). 2012: 2004 Global Immunization data.
• 8. Kremer JR and Muller CP. Molecular epidemiology of measles in Asia. Curr Topics in Virol. 2003;3:169-181.
• 9. CDC. Progress toward interrupting indigenous measles transmission-regions of America, January 1999-September 2000. MMWR. 2000;49:986-990.
• 10. World Health Organization. Measles outbreaks and progress towards meeting measles pre-elimination goals: WHO African Region, 2009-2010. Weekly Epidemiological Record. 2011;86:129-140.
• 11. World Health Organization. Reported measles cases and incidence rates by WHO member states 2010 and 2011. WHO factsheet 2011. Available at: http://www.who.int/immunization_monitoring/diseases/measlesreportedcasesbycountry. pdf.
• 12. CDC. Measles outbreaks and progress toward measles pre-elimination – African region, 2009–2010. MMWR. 2011;60:374-378.
• 13. Kremer JR, Nkwembe E, Oyefolu AOB, et al. Measles Virus strain diversity, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16:1724-1730.
• 14. Moss WJ. Measles still has a devastating impact on unvaccinated populations. PLoS Med. 2007;4:e24.
• 15. Berggren KL, Tharp M, Boyer KM. Vaccine-associated wildtype measles. Pediatr. Dermatol. 2005;22:130-132.
• 16. Oyefolu AO, Omilabu SA, Durosinmi AT, et al. Levels of measles HI-antibody in unvaccinated children in LILG Lagos, Nigeria. J Nigerian Infect Control Assoc. 1999;2:31-34.
• 17. Rammohan A, Awofeso N, Iqbal K. Gender-differentials in the timing of measles vaccination in rural India. Demographic Research. 2014;30:1825–1848.
• 18. World Health Organization. Vitamin A supplementation to improve treatment outcomes among children diagnosed with respiratory infections. e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions (eLENA) - Biological, behavioural and contextual rationale. April 2011. Available at http://www.who.int/elena/ titles/bbc/vitamina_pneumonia_children/en/. Accessed July. 13,2014.
• 19. Oyefolu AO, Omilabu SA, Akinyemi KO, et al. Measles resurgence in Nigeria: a review on the attributable factors. Nigerian J Res Rev Scien. 2001;2:33-45.
• 20. Akinyemi KO, Osundare YO, Oyeyinka OG, Coker AO. A retrospective study of community-acquired Salmonella infections in patients attending public hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. J Infect Dev Ctries. 2012;5:387-395.