Timing of Measles Vaccine Linked to Survival

Administering the measles vaccine (MV) as the last vaccine after the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) is associated with improved child survival and may ultimately play a role in achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 of the World Health Organization (WHO), a new study showed.

From 1996 to 2012, the researchers assessed 38,333 children aged 9 to 23 months. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine survival in relation to measles vaccination status within the first 12 months from date of interview to age 5 years.
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Results revealed that the percentage of children vaccinated with MV following DTP-3 increased significantly from 1996 to 2012 (45% to 95%), with adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 1.38 for children unvaccinated for measles vs those who received MV after DTP3 in the first 12 months after assessment and 1.22 at follow-up.

The researchers found that national immunization days campaigns may have been associated with a reduced effect of being vaccinated for MV following DPT3 vs being unvaccinated. For 12 months of follow-up, the HR for unvaccinated vs vaccinated children was 1.63 before a campaign and 1.23 after a campaign.

Ultimately, the mortality rate for children aged 9 months to 3 years decreased by 24% from 1989 to 2012. This decrease may be attributable to the increase in coverage for MV following DTP3.

“Though an observational study, our findings suggest that measles vaccination, administered in the recommended sequence, is associated with improved child survival and may have contributed importantly to the mortality decline toward the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Welaga P, Hodgson A, Debpuur C, et al. Measles vaccination supports millennium development goal 4: increasing coverage and increasing child survival in Northern Ghana, 1996-2012 [Published online February 12, 2018]. Front Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00028.