Measles epidemiology and elimination strategies in Turkey.
In Turkey, 15,000-30,000 measles cases have been reported annually since the 1990s. Epidemics occur every 3-4 years, and >/=90% of cases are <15 years old. The high incidence is due to inadequate vaccination coverage (nationally 84% in 2001) and immunity provided by the first dose of vaccine administered at age 9 months. The second dose, which has been recommended for first grade students since 1998, has been insufficient to provide the herd immunity necessary to control measles. The Ministry of Health launched a comprehensive program for 2002-2010 targeting measles elimination. This plan calls for a national vaccination campaign among all children aged 9 months to 14 years and routine two-dose vaccination coverage will be increased to >/=95% or follow-up campaigns will be conducted in areas not achieving high coverage levels. Also, all military recruits in 2002-2009 will be vaccinated and case-based, laboratory supported surveillance will be initiated.
Regional Office for Europe, World Health Organization, Ankara, Turkey. dhm5@cdc.gov
Dalya
D
Güriş
Yildirim
Y
Bayazit
Umit
U
Ozdemirer
Vedat
V
Buyurgan
Cevdet
C
Yalniz
Ismail
I
Toprak
Sefer
S
Aycan
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000379:methods*; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D008458:Measles Vaccine