Researchers from the International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai have found that among children who received measles vaccination there was a decrease in acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea. The study was conducted based on data from five countries, namely, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, and 12-59-month-old children were considered in the analysis.
Measles is a highly contagious disease transmitted through a virus belonging to the Morbillivirus genus. Children below five years are prone to the infection. “The virus can supress the immune system leading to infection in various organs of the body. Pneumonia and diarrhoea occur either as a complication or as a secondary infection,” explains Rahul Bawankule, research scholar at the institute and corresponding author of the paper published in PLOS ONE.
In 2010, diarrhoea and pneumonia were responsible for over 600,000 deaths of children in India under-5. India along with four other countries accounted for nearly 50% of the deaths globally from diarrhoea and pneumonia in this age group.
Surveys and analysis
The study is based on data from recent rounds of surveys from Demographic and Health Surveys in the selected countries. The survey collects information on vaccination status of children born in last five years. The mean age of measles-vaccinated and unvaccinated children and any occurrence of acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea after the vaccination were examined.
Researchers also examined the effect of socioeconomic and demographic risk factors on occurrence of acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea. These risk factors included cooking fuel, toilet facility, source of drinking water and household wealth status.
In India, 62% of the children were vaccinated. In all countries, the vaccination coverage was higher in urban than in rural areas. In India, vaccination reduced acute respiratory infection cases by 15% and diarrhoea by 12%.
“Measles vaccination works as a preventive measure against the complications or secondary infections. There are several other causative pathogens for pneumonia and diarrhoea also. Our study shows the protective effects of measles vaccination on acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea in countries which report the highest number of child deaths. Measles vaccination campaigns must highlight the many preventive benefits of the vaccine as well,” he adds.
