Measles Elimination Activities in the Western Pacific Region: Experience from the Republic of Korea

Abstract

We describe the global status of measles control and elimination, including surveillance and vaccination coverage data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 2000, two doses of measles vaccine (MCV2) became recommended globally and the achievement of high vaccination coverage has led to dramatic decrease in the measles incidence. Our finding indicates that, in the Western Pacific Region (WPR), substantial progress has been made to control measles transmission in some countries; however, the measles virus continues to circulate, causing outbreaks. The Republic of Korea (ROK) experienced a series of resurgence of measles due to the importation and healthcare-associated transmission in infants, however overall incidence and surveillance indicators met the WHO criteria for measles elimination. The ROK was verified to be measles-free along with Australia, Mongolia, and Macau, China in 2014. One of the effective elimination activities was the establishment of solid keep-up vaccination system in school settings. The lessons learnt from the measles elimination activities in Korea may contribute to enhancing the surveillance schemes and strengthening of vaccination programs in member countries and areas of WPR.

An investigation of a measles outbreak in Japan and Taiwan, China, March–May 2018

“…( 1 , 2 ) Since the year 2000, a two-dose schedule for measles vaccination has been recommended by Global Measles Mortality Reduction and Regional Elimination: Strategic Plan, ( 2 ) organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and substantial progress has been made towards measles elimination in countries that belong to the WHO Western Pacific Region. ( 3 , 4 ) Nevertheless, the virus has continued to circulate, causing multiple outbreaks in member countries and surrounding areas. ( 3 - 5 ) Since 2017, there has been a surge of global measles cases, especially in European countries, ( 6 ) and the chance of experiencing an outbreak in the Western Pacific Region has continued to be to be high.…”

Preliminary Report of Seroprevalence of Anti-Measles Immunoglobulin G among Healthcare Workers of 6 Teaching Hospitals of Daegu, Korea in 2019

“…Furthermore, a two-dose MMR vaccination schedule, which was introduced in 1997, contributed the decrement of measles among children and adults. Thanks to the national efforts to control measles, the World Health Organization declared that measles had been eliminated in South Korea in 2014 [1]. However, since 1996 outbreaks have occurred in nosocomial transmission after importation from overseas countries even in the situation in which 2-dose MMR vaccination coverage was over 95% [23].…”

Investigation of a Mumps Outbreak in a Dental Clinic at a University Hospital

“…In Korea, mumps vaccine was introduced during the early 1980s and was included in the National Immunization Program as a combined MMR vaccine in 1985 [5910]. Since 1997, 2-dose MMR vaccination at 12–15 months and at 4–6 years of age was recommended [5910]. After introduction of universal vaccination of mumps and MMR, the incidence of mumps dramatically declined [1511].…”