Public health interventions to reduce the secondary spread of measles

Foerster V, Perras C, Spry C, Weeks L
Record ID 32018002177
English
Authors' objectives: Measles is a highly communicable infectious disease, with 90% of susceptible contacts (those who have not had measles or are unimmunized) becoming infected after exposure to a person with measles. Serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, and pneumonia. Treatment is limited; however, measles is largely preventable through immunization, with efficacy approaching 100% after two doses of measles-containing vaccine. Although vaccination programs have eliminated endemic measles (i.e., measles circulating within the country) in Canada, outbreaks occur due to foreign travel and pools of unimmunized Canadians. Public health interventions to reduce the secondary spread of measles are vaccination of susceptible contacts; human immunoglobulin (Ig) for susceptible contacts; quarantine of susceptible contacts; isolation of active measles cases; and special vaccination clinics or activities during outbreaks to increase population immunization coverage. The objective of this study is to inform the development of a Canadian public health intervention strategy by systematically reviewing the clinical evidence on the effectiveness of these five public health interventions in reducing the secondary spread of measles during an outbreak in a population similar to Canada that has achieved elimination of endemic measles.
Details
Project Status: Completed
URL for project: https://cadth.ca/public-health-interventions-reduce-secondary-spread-measles
URL for protocol: https://cadth.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/Measles%20protocol%20DRAFT%20v%202.1.pdf
Year Published: 2015
URL for published report: https://cadth.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/RE0029_Measles_Control_e.pdf
URL for additional information: https://cadth.ca/public-health-interventions-reduce-secondary-spread-measles
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Rapid Review
Country: Canada
Pubmed ID: 26180861
MeSH Terms
  • Measles
  • Measles Vaccine
  • Public Health Surveillance
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Secondary Prevention
  • Primary Prevention
Keywords
  • Measles
  • Vaccination
  • Public health
  • Disease transmission
Contact
Organisation Name: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
Contact Address: 600-865 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8 Canada. Tel: +1 613 226 2553; Fax: +1 613 226 5392;
Contact Name: requests@cadth.ca
Contact Email: requests@cadth.ca
Copyright: <p>Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)</p>
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.