title: [Measles in the Nantes Teaching Hospital during the 2008-2009 epidemic].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A recent measles epidemic in France incited us to report and describe measles cases requiring hospitalization, to raise the awareness of health professionals on under-diagnosis and frequent complications of this viral disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a retrospective and epidemiologic study of measles cases recorded in the Nantes Teaching Hospital between August 2008 and September 2009. All these cases where confirmed by biological diagnosis and recorded by the Teaching Hospital virological laboratory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen cases of measles (11 adults and two children) were recorded during the study period. Adults were young (mean age 21.4 years); the oldest was 35 years old. We noted two severe cases with viral pneumonia and hypoxemia and one case with bacterial pneumonia. Two female patients were pregnant; one delivered prematurely, in the acute phase of measles, with no complication for the newborn. Two cases occurred in the nursing staff by documented nosocomial transmission. Sixty-nine percent of the patients were not vaccinated whereas the vaccinal status was not documented for 31%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These cases underline the potential severity of this infection and the difficulty to diagnose measles at the early phase because of lack of awareness of medical staff. It will be necessary to reinforce prevention messages and promote measles vaccination in children as well as in young people and health workers.
authors.affiliation: Centre de vaccinations polyvalentes, immeuble Le Tourville, CHU de Nantes, 1, place Alexis-Ricordeau, 44093 Nantes cedex, France. charlotte.biron@chu-nantes.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beaudoux
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ponge
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Briend-Godet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Corne
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tripodi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hazart
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Esbelin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boutoille
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raffi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D058872:Epidemics; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult