The effect of early measles vaccination at 4.5 months of age on growth at 9 and 24 months of age in a randomized trial in Guinea-Bissau

BACKGROUND: Providing an early, additional measles vaccine (MV) at 4.5 months of age has been shown to reduce child mortality in low-income countries. We studied the effects on growth at 9 and 24 months of age. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Guinea-Bissau from 2003–2007 including 6,648 children. Children were randomized 1:1:1 to receive Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine at 4.5 and 9 months of age (group A), no vaccine at 4.5 months and Edmonston-Zagreb measles vaccine at 9 months (group B), or no vaccine at 4.5 months and Schwarz measles vaccine at 9 months (group C) Data on anthropometrics were obtained at enrolment at 4.5 months of age and again at 9 and 24 months of age. Analyses were stratified by sex, season of enrolment, and neonatal vitamin A supplementation (NVAS) status, as all these factors have been shown to modify the effect of early MV on mortality. RESULTS: Overall there was no effect of early MV on anthropometry at 9 months. At 24 months children who had received early MV had a significantly larger mid-upper-arm-circumference (MUAC/in cm) (Difference = 0.08; 95% CI (0.02;0.14)) compared with children in the control group; this effect was most pronounced among girls (0.12 (0.03;0.20)). The effect of early MV on MUAC remained significant in the dry season and in girls who received placebo rather than NVAS. CONCLUSION: Early MV was associated with a larger MUAC particularly in girls. These results indicate that a two-dose measles vaccination schedule might not only reduce child mortality but also improve growth. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00168558. Registered September 9, 2005, retrospectively registered ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-016-0738-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.