Measles outbreaks in Azerbaijan

Measles, a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable, airborne disease, resurged globally post-COVID-19 pandemic, and Azerbaijan reported 31 730 cases between January 2023 and June 2024.

To analyse the measles outbreaks in Azerbaijan and propose prevention strategies.

We collected and analysed secondary data on measles cases reported to the Hygiene and Epidemiological Centers of Azerbaijan for January 2023 to June 2024, including vaccination coverage data for 2017-2023.

A total of 13 207 cases were recorded in 2023, and this increased to 18 523 by June 2024. Of these cases, 52.2% were children aged 5-13 years in 2023 and 47.3% in 2024, while 42.1% of the cases in 2023 were hospitalised. Rural areas accounted for 52.6% of cases in 2023 and 51.9% in 2024. Measles-containing vaccine coverage decreased significantly nationwide in 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic: 78.9% coverage for first dose and 89.9% for second dose.

Pandemic-related decrease in vaccination coverage caused measles outbreaks in Azerbaijan, which disproportionately affected children and rural populations. To prevent future outbreaks, there is a need to rapidly increase vaccination coverage, alongside awareness campaigns, and to strengthen surveillance systems.