Measles: The Re-emergence of a Vaccine-Preventable Disease

The measles virus is one of the most infectious pathogens known. Although measles is typically self-limiting, it can result in complications such as otitis media, pneumonia, and encephalitis. This retrospective study aimed to examine the epidemiological characteristics, such as age, gender, and vaccination status, of confirmed and probable measles cases.

Adults aged ≥18 years diagnosed with confirmed or probable measles between 2019 and 2023 in a single province were included in the study. Age, gender, serologic test results, vaccination status, clinical features, and complications were analyzed retrospectively.

A total of 193 adult patients with a preliminary diagnosis of measles were included. The mean age was 31.4 ± 7.7 years, and 80.8% were female. Vaccination status was unknown in 80.3% of patients, 14% reported no history of measles vaccination. Clinical features included maculopapular rash (76.7%), fever (68.4%), conjunctivitis (60.1%), and Koplik's spots (43%). Of the patients, 52 (26.9%) were diagnosed with confirmed measles based on positive measles-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM), while 141 (73.1%) were evaluated as probable measles based on clinical presentation. Pneumonia was observed in 2 (1%) patients. A total of 22 (11.4%) patients were hospitalized for follow-up and treatment, with hospitalization periods ranging from two to eight days. No statistically significant differences were observed between confirmed and probable cases regarding age, gender, vaccination status, fever, rash, conjunctivitis, or pneumonia (p>0.05 for all).