Measles: The Re-emergence of a Vaccine-Preventable Disease.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Retrospective case series without a control group
PubMed 41111498 · doi:10.36519/idcm.2025.596
What was done
A retrospective case series analyzed the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of 193 adults (aged ≥18 years) diagnosed with confirmed or probable measles between 2019 and 2023 in a single province. Assessed parameters included age, sex, measles-specific IgM serology, vaccination history, presenting symptoms, and complications.
What was found
Patients had a mean age of 31.4 ± 7.7 years, and 80.8% were female. Vaccination status was unknown in 80.3% and absent in 14.0%. Only 52 patients (26.9%) were serologically confirmed via IgM positivity, while 141 (73.1%) were classified as probable cases based on clinical presentation. Clinical features included maculopapular rash (76.7%), fever (68.4%), conjunctivitis (60.1%), and Koplik's spots (43.0%). Pneumonia occurred in 2 patients (1.0%), and 22 patients (11.4%) required hospital admission with stays ranging from 2 to 8 days. Confirmed and probable cases did not differ significantly in age, sex, vaccination status, fever, rash, conjunctivitis, or pneumonia (p > 0.05 for all).
Why it matters
This study describes the clinical profile and hospitalisation rate of measles in an adult cohort during a re-emergence period, highlighting potential vulnerability in young adult populations.
Limits
The study is a single-province retrospective series without a comparator group. A majority of cases (73.1%) were not serologically confirmed, and vaccination history was missing in 80.3% of patients, preventing robust evaluation of vaccine effectiveness or failure.
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