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Measles complications: the importance of their management in reducing mortality attributed to measles
T Marufu1, S Siziya, S Murugasampillay
1Department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe Medical School, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Objective:
To determine the effect of rates of complications among cases and management of complicated cases on measles case fatality rates.
Design:
Measles disease surveillance.
Setting:
City of Gweru, Department of Health.
Subjects:
Children aged zero to 15 years.
Main Outcome Measures:
Case fatality rates.
Results:
Measles case fatality rates declined from 47.6 in 1967 to zero in 1989. Between 1967 and 1978 respiratory infections were the predominant complications (66.5%), while after 1979 diarrhoea was the predominant complications (60.6%). A significant partial correlation coefficient was observed between rates of mortality among complicated cases and case fatality rates (r = 0.89, df = 20, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Good management of complicated cases may have contributed towards the decline in measles case fatality rates.