title: Community-based measles mortality surveillance in two districts of Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mortality due to measles is often under-reported. Traditional methods of measuring mortality can be time and resource-intensive. We describe the implementation of a community-based method to monitor measles mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using standardized questionnaires in the midst of a measles outbreak, a community-based network of volunteers recorded a much larger number of deaths (376) than deaths recorded in health centres (27). Deaths were predominantly (93.5%) among children aged less than 5 years; 54.5% of measles deaths reported antecedent measles vaccination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this setting, the number of deaths due to measles reported in community-based surveillance was much higher than deaths reported in health centres. Lack of reliable population data and incomplete coverage of the surveillance system make it impossible to calculate overall attack rates and cause-specific mortality rates. Similar systems could be rapidly implemented in other difficult outbreak settings.
authors.affiliation: Epicentre, 8 rue Saint-Sabin, 75011 Paris, France. alexandra.ngoran@epicentre.msf.org.
authors.forename: Alexandra A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: N'goran
authors.forename: Ngoie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ilunga
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Coldiron
authors.forename: Rebecca F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Grais
authors.forename: Klaudia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Porten
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006758:Hospital Volunteers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine