PLoS Medicine
(Accessed 9 November 2013)
http://www.plosmedicine.org/

Measles Outbreak Response Immunization Is Context-Specific: Insight from the Recent Experience of Médecins Sans Frontières
Andrea Minetti mail, Cameron Bopp, Florence Fermon, Gwenola François, Rebecca F. Grais, Lise Grout, Northan Hurtado, Francisco J. Luquero, Klaudia Porten, Laurent Sury, Meguerditch Terzian
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001544

Summary Points
:: During the recent resurgence of measles in sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of cases were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi, two countries with vastly different measles epidemiology.
:: Non-selective mass vaccination campaigns targeting children aged 6 months to <15 years old are the commonly implemented strategy for responding to measles outbreaks in humanitarian emergencies.
:: Differences in measles epidemiology and country-specific control goals necessitate more than a one-size-fits-all strategy.
:: Measles outbreak responses should be tailored to local measles epidemiology following early assessment: the age distribution of early cases should guide the decision on which age groups to vaccinate.
:: In settings where the main objective is mortality reduction, the youngest children—who account for the most deaths and complications—should be prioritized by the outbreak response.