title: Changing epidemiology of measles in Hong Kong from 1961 to 1990--impact of a measles vaccination program.
abstract: With the use of measles vaccine since 1967, Hong Kong has experienced a low incidence of measles until a major outbreak in 1988. A shift in the distribution of susceptible children to older age groups was suddenly accelerated in the 1988 outbreak. The attack rate increased by 18.9-fold for children greater than 10 years old, while that for those in the best-protected age group of 1-4 years was only 2.2-fold. Of the cases during that outbreak, 56.3% would have been considered preventable with the present vaccination regimen, and vaccine failures accounted for only 20.4% of the cases. Present control strategies aim at increasing the coverage rate rather than introducing a two-dose regimen, which may be necessary when vaccine failures account for a larger proportion of measles cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine