Measles in Ukrain: current challenges

Abstract

Currently, the significance of the problem for measles in Ukraine is attributed to the increased incidence of outbreaks of the disease among children and teenagers with fatal cases. The findings of the analysis of the nationwide coverage for measles vaccination in 2012-2017 are unfavorable: in 2008 the rate of vaccinated individuals constituted 95%, while in 2012, 2013 and 2016 it was 79%, 49% and 45,5%, respectively. Estimates of measles incidence in Ukraine in 2012 revealed 12746 measles cases with the intensive rate of 27.9 per 100 000 of the population, indicating about a high epidemic rise of measles. During the in-between epidemic period, particularly in 2016, only sporadic 102 cases were reveled. In 2018, during the first two months 1248 measles cases were registered with measles-related deaths of 8 people: 6 deaths of children among which 1 death of a newborn with congenital measles and 1death of a baby aged 5 months.