A report of outbreaks of measles on the southern coast of Iran from 2009 to 2015

INTRODUCTION: Immunogenicity assessment figures of the measles vaccine is approximately 90%, and decreases over time. Therefore, the immunity level of measles vaccine is variable which can result in outbreaks of measles in a population. The aim of current study was to report the outbreaks of measles in Hormozgan province from 2009 to 2015. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Hormozgan Province on the southern coast of Iran. The documented data of all cases suspected of measles are included in this study. We used a checklist including gender, age, area, place of residence, contact history, and vaccination status to extract required data. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics software version 21.0. RESULTS: Eight hundred fifty-one suspicious cases of measles were determined from 2006 to 2015. Of those, 135 infected cases were reported. Among patients, 49% were male, 79% were Iranian, 18% were Afghans, and 3 % were Indians or Pakistanis. Also, 31% of cases were reported from Bandar Abbas, 25% were reported from Minab, 18% from Qeshm, 17 % from Jask and other cases were reported from other areas of the Hormozgan Province. Thirty percent of the cases were reported from urban areas. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of cases with measles in rural areas were reported in the areas which were covered by complete vaccination. This shows interruption of cold continuum. Also, increasing the number of under one-years-old cases reported, could be due to poor nutritional status of the children and insufficient immunization of mothers. Further studies are required for identifying the causes of cold continuum interruption. Further studies are required for the assessment of immunization in children and mothers and various vaccination protocols.