title: Is the current prevention strategy based on vaccination coverage and epidemiological surveillance sufficient to achieve measles and rubella elimination in Europe?
abstract: Elimination of measles and rubella in Europe is a feasible objective, but it requires achieving a maintaining a high prevalence of protected individuals in order to prevent cases and outbreaks from imported cases. The epidemiology of measles and rubella in Europe in the period 2003-2013 suggests that we are far away from the elimination target for measles, while the situation is better for rubella. In this situation, a new preventive strategy based on serological surveillance systems should be developed in Europe in order to identify and immunise individuals in population groups without sufficient herd immunity against measles and rubella.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Agency of Catalonia, Department of Health of Catalonia, Roc Boronat, 81-95, 08005 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Plans-Rubio
mesh_terms: D060740:Disease Eradication; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D032541:Mass Vaccination / Q000639:trends*; D008457:Measles / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012409:Rubella / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D022542:Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine
keywords: Europe; epidemiology; herd immunity; measles and rubella elimination; preventive strategies