Reporting measles case fatality due to complications from a tertiary care hospital of Kolkata, West Bengal 2011-2013

INTRODUCTION: Measles is affecting millions of people in the developing countries particularly in India with significant morbidity and responsible for thousands of death in spite of having a safe, effective, and cheap vaccine. Pulmonary complications account for 90% measles-related death. The objectives of this study were to describe age distribution, clinical features, complications, and clinical outcomes of measles cases in a referral infectious disease hospital of West Bengal. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study including 584 patients and collected information from record section on demographics, clinical features, complications, and clinical outcomes using data abstraction form. RESULTS: The mean age of 584 measles cases was 3.7 years (±1.2 years). The most common complication was pneumonia (149 cases) followed by diarrhea and encephalopathy. Very severe pneumonia occurred in 34 cases requiring intensive care out of which 13 patients died. The average duration of stay in the hospital was 5.7 days (±3.2 days). Surprisingly, 45 cases admitted to this hospital were <9 months of age with subsequent death in 5 cases. CONCLUSION: Substantial number of measles cases was seen in zero to <9 months of age group and fatality due to complication was more among them.