title: An investigation into a measles outbreak in southeast Iran.
abstract: In 2009 and 2010, a series of measles outbreaks, involving different age groups,  occurred in rural areas of the Chabahar district in southeast Iran. These outbreaks raised questions  regarding the effectiveness of immunization programs in these areas. To determine the most important  factors leading to these outbreaks, and to determine the effectiveness of the measles vaccination  program, the present study analyzed surveillance data and performed a case-control study. The total  number of reported cases during the study period was 126. The estimated vaccine effectiveness, based  on the adjusted odds ratio of the case-control study, was 74.2% (95% CI, 10.2-92.6). On two occasions,  both primary and secondary cases of the outbreaks were vaccinated school children. In total, 42% of  all cases were aged above 7 years, and 6.3% were above 20 years. With regard to the important role  of schools as the foci of contact between uninfected and infected children, supplementary  immunization of children before starting in school could be effective in preventing measles  outbreaks. In addition, implementation of supplementary immunization every 5-10 years in older age  groups might be effective in preventing future outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Chabahar International Branch, Chabahar, Iran. izadish＠yahoo.com
authors.forename: Shahrokh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izadi
authors.forename: Seyed-Mohsen
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zahraie
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sartipi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D008458:Measles Vaccine