Measles: Epidemiology & Control of Measles in the Gweru Urban District in Zimbabwe

Measles is a disease of public health importance that is associated with high mortality and morbidity, particularly in developing countries. In recent years, widespread application of the measles vaccine among children has led to a decline in the morbidity and mortality attributed to measles. In the city of Gweru in Zimbabwe, research was carried on the epidemiology and control of measles. Due to these studies, a seven year multiple dose measles vaccination intervention was carried out in Gweru from 1990-1996. The results of this intervention played a significant role in the debate that led to the adoption of the WHO/UNICEF current policy to use multiple dose measles vaccination strategies to control measles in developing countries. One of the critical lessons that has arisen from the Gweru city measles operational research effort has been that fairly low cost, simple research makes a great difference in providing insight into the epidemiology and control of endemic disease conditions locally.