JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

on April 16, 2020, the communicable disease department of Al-Buraimi Governorate, Oman, was notified about three cases of measles. On laboratory confirmation on 19 April 2020, further field investigation was conducted. Oman has experienced few cases of measles since 1995, however, Al Buraimi Governorate has experienced imported measles cases in recent years.

Objective:

We conducted this study to investigate the epidemiology of imported measles cases at Al Buraimi, Oman, in April 2020.

Methods:

This case series retrospectively reported measles cases. Epidemiological investigation began by meeting the families of the affected children. Obtained data included clinical symptoms, exposure information, travel history, immunization, and history of contact with others.

Results:

From the number of positive cases, we found that 75% were girls while 25% were boys. Also, six patients were Afghani nationals, while two were Pakistani. A detailed investigation that included virus isolation and genotyping identified all the cases were Measles B3 genotype and traced the virus back to Pakistan as the country of origin. However, despite Pakistan being the virus's origin, most cases were reported from Afghani's (75%) nationals due to low vaccination coverage. Also, we established that most of the children affected were from 10-19 years (75%). All children who did not have vaccination records or were unvaccinated, whether they had fallen ill or not, were given MMR vaccine. This action was done to avoid future outbreaks and increase measles vaccination coverage.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated that the greatest challenge of measles elimination in Oman is non-Omanis expatriates and unvaccinated children. It should therefore be a priority to vaccinate all expatriates' children. When everyone is vaccinated in Oman, nationals or foreigners, only then can the goal of measles-free country be realized. Clinical Trial: Not Applicable