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MMR vaccine effectiveness in an outbreak that involved day-care and primary schools

Irene Barrabeig1, Ariadna Rovira, Pilar Muñoz

  • 1Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of Barcelona-Zona Sud. Department of Health, Generalitat of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. ibarrabeig@catsalut.cat

Vaccine
|September 7, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Advancing the first dose of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine to 12 months could prevent over 90% of measles cases in young children. This change significantly reduces outbreak risks in childcare settings.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Immunization
  • Public Health

Background:

  • A significant measles outbreak occurred in Catalonia, Spain, in 2006.
  • The existing immunization schedule involved two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, administered at 15 months and 4 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the MMR vaccine in children attending day-care and pre-school centers.
  • To estimate the potential reduction in measles cases if the first MMR dose was given at 12 months instead of 15 months.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective cohort study was conducted in day-care and pre-school centers experiencing measles cases.
  • Vaccine effectiveness was calculated for children aged 15 months and older without prior measles infection.
  • The number of cases averted by earlier vaccination was estimated using reproduction numbers.

Main Results:

  • The study included 15 centers and 1394 children, with 77 confirmed measles cases (5.5% attack rate).
  • Vaccine effectiveness of MMR was 96% in children aged 15 months and older (91.6% coverage).
  • Advancing the first MMR dose to 12 months could have prevented 91.5% of cases in 12-14 month olds, reducing their attack rate from 41% to 8.6%.

Conclusions:

  • Administering the first MMR dose at 12 months, rather than 15 months, could prevent over 90% of measles cases in children aged 12-14 months.
  • This adjustment to the immunization schedule is strongly recommended to mitigate the impact of measles outbreaks.
Abstract

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