title: Measles Outbreak among Previously Immunized Adult Healthcare Workers, China, 2015.
abstract: Measles is caused by measles virus belonging to genus Morbillivirus of the family Paramyxoviridae. Vaccination has played a critical role in controlling measles infection worldwide. However, in the recent years, outbreaks of measles infection still occur in many developing countries. Here, we report an outbreak of measles among healthcare workers and among the 60 measles infected patients 50 were healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, staff, and medics. Fifty-one patients (85%) tested positive for IgM antibodies against the measles virus and 50 patients (83.3%) tested positive for measles virus RNA. Surprisingly, 73.3% of the infected individuals had been previously immunized against measles. Since there is no infection division in our hospital, the fever clinics are located in the Emergency Division. In addition, the fever and rash were not recognized as measles symptoms at the beginning of the outbreak. These factors result in delay in isolation and early confirmation of the suspected patients and eventually a measles outbreak in the hospital. Our report highlights the importance of following a two-dose measles vaccine program in people including the healthcare workers. In addition, vigilant attention should be paid to medical staff with clinical fever and rash symptoms to avoid a possible nosocomial transmission of measles infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Zhengyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Changhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Hongjin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Meizhong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Wenqin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu