A 60-year review on the changing epidemiology of measles in capital Beijing, China, 1951-2011

Abstract

BackgroundChina pledged to join the global effort to eliminate measles by 2012. To improve measles control strategy, the epidemic trend and population immunity of measles were investigated in 1951–2011 in Beijing.MethodsThe changing trend of measles since 1951 was described based on measles surveillance data from Beijing Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The measles vaccination coverage and antibody level were assessed by routinely reported measles vaccination data and twenty-one sero-epidemiological surveys.ResultsThe incidence of measles has decreased significantly from 593.5/100,000 in 1951 (peaked at 2721.0/100,000 in 1955), to 0.5/100,000 in 2011 due to increasing vaccination coverage of 95%-99%. Incidence rebounded from 6.6/100,000 to 24.5/100,000 since 2005 and decreased after measles vaccine (MV) supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) in 2010. Measles antibody positive rate was 85%-95% in most of years since 1981. High-risk districts were spotted in Chaoyang, Fengtai and Changping districts in recent 15 years. Age-specific incidence and proportion of measles varied over time. The most affected population were younger children of 1–4 years before 1978, older children of 5–14 years in 1978–1996, infant of <1 years and adults of ≥15 years in period of aim to measles elimination.ConclusionStrategies at different stages had a prevailing effect on the epidemic dynamics of measles in recent 60 years in Beijing. It will be essential to validate reported vaccination coverage, improve vaccination coverage in adults and strengthen measles surveillance in the anticipated elimination campaign for measles.

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“…Despite substantial efforts to eliminate measles from China in recent years, measles virus continues to circulate and cause significant morbidity in the country and China accounts for a large proportion of the measles cases reported in the Western Pacific Region. 7,8 The elimination of measles in China is therefore critical to achieving the goal of regional measles elimination. In 1978, China established the national Expanded Programme on Immunization and began to implement a standard schedule for routine immunization that included a dose of measles vaccine administered at 8 months of age.…”

The Tsinghua–Lancet Commission on Healthy Cities in China: unlocking the power of cities for a healthy China

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