Risk factors associated with statewide measles outbreak three months after measles supplemental immunization in Sokoto, Nigeria, 2016

Introduction : measlesis a highly contagious viral diseaseassociated with high morbidity and mortality. It is the fifth leading cause of death among under-fivechildren worldwide. On February 12, 2016, an outbreakof Measleswas reported from Sokoto State, Nigeria. This measles outbreakoccurred despite a Measlessupplemental immunization three months earlier. Studies have shown that hospitals may play an important role in the community transmission of Measles. We investigated to confirm the outbreak, describe the sociodemographic characteristics, and identify risk factors for the outbreak. Methods : we conducted a 1:1 unmatched case-control study. We defined a case as any person less than 10 years of age with Measlesaccording to standard case definitionwhile a control was any child less than 10years without history of Measlesresiding in affected communities of Sokoto State from 1st February to 30th March 2016. We conducted active case search, reviewed health facilitiesrecords and line-listed 984 suspected cases. A standard questionnaire was administered to collect information on possible risk factors associated with the Measles outbreak. We conducted univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis using Epi info 7.2. Results : of the 984 cases line listed 505 (51.6%) were males, 726 (73.8%) of cases were Conclusion : the Measles outbreakmay have been exacerbated by visiting a health facilityduring the outbreak. This finding underpins the importance of improving hospital infection control practices.