title: Unacceptably high mortality related to measles epidemics in Niger, Nigeria, and Chad.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the comprehensive World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) measles mortality-reduction strategy and the Measles Initiative, a partnership of international organizations supporting measles mortality reduction in Africa, certain high-burden countries continue to face recurrent epidemics. To our knowledge, few recent studies have documented measles mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of our study was to investigate measles mortality in three recent epidemics in Niamey (Niger), N'Djamena (Chad), and Adamawa State (Nigeria).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We conducted three exhaustive household retrospective mortality surveys in one neighbourhood of each of the three affected areas: Boukoki, Niamey, Niger (April 2004, n = 26,795); Moursal, N'Djamena, Chad (June 2005, n = 21,812); and Dong District, Adamawa State, Nigeria (April 2005, n = 16,249), where n is the total surveyed population in each of the respective areas. Study populations included all persons resident for at least 2 wk prior to the study, a duration encompassing the measles incubation period. Heads of households provided information on measles cases, clinical outcomes up to 30 d after rash onset, and health-seeking behaviour during the epidemic. Measles cases and deaths were ascertained using standard WHO surveillance-case definitions. Our main outcome measures were measles attack rates (ARs) and case fatality ratios (CFRs) by age group, and descriptions of measles complications and health-seeking behaviour. Measles ARs were the highest in children under 5 y old (under 5 y): 17.1% in Boukoki, 17.2% in Moursal, and 24.3% in Dong District. CFRs in under 5-y-olds were 4.6%, 4.0%, and 10.8% in Boukoki, Moursal, and Dong District, respectively. In all sites, more than half of measles cases in children aged under 5 y experienced acute respiratory infection and/or diarrhoea in the 30 d following rash onset. Of measles cases, it was reported that 85.7% (979/1,142) of patients visited a health-care facility within 30 d after rash onset in Boukoki, 73.5% (519/706) in Moursal, and 52.8% (603/1,142) in Dong District.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children in these countries still face unacceptably high mortality from a completely preventable disease. While the successes of measles mortality-reduction strategies and progress observed in measles control in other countries of the region are laudable and evident, they should not overshadow the need for intensive efforts in countries that have just begun implementation of the WHO/UNICEF comprehensive strategy.
authors.affiliation: Epicentre, Paris, France. rebecca.grais@epicentre.msf.org
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Grais
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dubray
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gerstl
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Guthmann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Djibo
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Nargaye
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coker
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cochet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ihekweazu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nathan
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Porten
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sauvageot
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schimmer
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fermon
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Burny
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hersh
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Guerin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002596:Chad / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009017:Morbidity; D009548:Niger / Q000453:epidemiology; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine