Epidemiological indicators for measles in the Odesa region

Abstract

Background. In order to eliminate measles around the world, a panel of experts from the World Health Organization recommends increased attention be paid to improving the immunization system as a whole, to carry out early detection of infections, to assess the level of immune protection of the population, and to improve the network of laboratory services for timely diagnosis and prevention of the spread of this infection. Our purpose was to study the dynamics of measles incidence in the Odesa region in 2010–2018 and to determine the impact of the number of vaccinated and seropositive persons on the epidemic process. Materials and methods. Using analytical and statistical approaches, an epidemiological analysis of the official statistical reports of State Institution “Odesa Regional Laboratory Centre of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of Ukraine” was performed in the paper. Results. From 2010 to 2018, the incidence of measles in Odesa and the Odesa region has coincided with the frequency of epidemic morbidity in Ukraine as a whole. The greatest number of cases was among children aged 1–4 and 5–9 years, as well as people from the age group over 30 years. The level of antimeasles IgG detected in 2018 in all age categories have averaged 69.46 %. Conclusions. It is necessary to increase the number of vaccinated persons up to 95 % to ensure the epidemic welfare of the population in Odesa and the Odesa region and for measles elimination. Increasing level of immunized people will lead to the prevention of infection spread among the population.