Measles outbreak in a tribal population of Thane district, Maharashtra

In March 1992, an outbreak of measles, in the tribal population of Vavar village, Mokhada Taluk, Thane district, Maharashtra, was investigated. Two hamlets of Vavar village namely Sagpanipada (epidemic in October, November 1991) and Behedpada (epidemic in January, February 1992) were affected. In both hamlets, measles cases were confined to children below 10 yrs and 96% of the cases occurred in children below 6 yrs. Attack rates were 52.7% and 51.4% and case fatality rates were 31.2% and 15.6% at Sagpanipada and Behedpada, respectively. All the convalescent patients' sera possessed IgM antibodies against measles. A clear drop in IgM and a rise in IgG antibodies against measles was observed in 35 paired samples from convalescent patients. Fifty four per cent of sera from controls, possessed IgM antibodies. Migrating population appeared to have imported measles which flared up in an epidemic among the susceptibles. Priority immunization of the children of remote isolated populations may prevent such epidemics.