title: Measles in Mexico, 1941-2001: interruption of endemic transmission and lessons learned.
abstract: In Mexico, measles occurred in a cyclical endemic-epidemic pattern until the early 1970s. Beginning in 1973, routine vaccination augmented by mass vaccination campaigns led to a decrease in the incidence of measles until the 1989-1990 regional pandemic, when the measles attack rate rose to 80 cases per 100000, resulting in 5899 deaths. Since the pandemic, measles elimination efforts in Mexico have resulted in increasing coverage to >95% among children aged 1-6 years with 2 doses of either measles or measles-mumps-rubella vaccine since 1996 and in coverage of 97.6% among children aged 6-10 since 1999. Surveillance data suggest that the transmission of indigenous measles virus was interrupted in 1997. After almost 4 years without measles cases, in April 2000, measles virus was reintroduced into Mexico and 30 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported. Detection of relatively few cases in nonprogrammatic age groups affirms the high immunization coverage and the sensitivity of measles surveillance in Mexico. We conclude that the specific strategies adopted for measles elimination have enabled Mexico to eliminate the endemic transmission of measles.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Child and Adolescent Health, and National Immunization Council, Ministry of Health, Mexico. jisantos@himfg.com.mx.
authors.forename: Jose Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Miriam Veras
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuri
authors.forename: Carlos Alvarez
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Roberto Tapia
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Conyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009107:Mumps / Q000517:prevention & control; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012409:Rubella / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine