Analysis on epidemiological characteristcs of measles and evaluation of measures for its control and prevention in Hefei from,2001 to 2006

Objective The present study was conducted to find out the epidemiological characteris- tics of measles and evaluate the measures for its control and prevention in Hefei from 2001 to 2006. Methods Descriptive epidemiology of measles cases collected through notifiable infectious disease re- port and surveillance system in Hefei from 2001 to 2006 was analyzed using SPSS and Excel.Results 1530 measles cases were reported with the mean yearly incidence rate of 5.66/lakh from 2001 to 2006 in Hefei City.The proportion of measles cases aged under 15 from 2001 to 2004 increased from 55% (2001)to 80%(2004)and decreased in 2005 and 2006 with the proportion of 64% and 52%,respective- ly.The proportion of measles cases aged under 8 months were on the rise in the 6 years as 4%,6 %, 11%,5%,13% and 21%,respectively.The measles incidence rate was higher in urban areas than in ru- ral areas.40% of all cases presented in 2005 were floating population and most of them gathered in the junction of urban and rural areas and colleges.Conclusion Routine vaccination should be rein- forced and boost vaccination should be carried out in proper time to prevent and control measles,vac- cination coverage should be improved and further studies on present vaccination strategy should be done based on the new status of measles prevalence.