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Review
. 2019 Apr 25:7:98.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00098. eCollection 2019.

Measles Epidemics in Romania: Lessons for Public Health and Future Policy

Stefan Dascalu  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Measles Epidemics in Romania: Lessons for Public Health and Future Policy

Stefan Dascalu. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that continues to be a challenge for many countries worldwide. Although significant improvements have been observed since the introduction of vaccines, measles remains endemic in Romania. Contributing factors include vaccine hesitancy, difficulties in delivering doses to the population, and even the lack of sufficient vaccine supplies. These problems are further exacerbated by an inadequate implementation of public health measures, ranging from inefficient communication programs to the absence of a legislative framework concerning immunization. Moreover, many of the recent outbreaks were associated with chains of transmission in other countries, thus making the control of measles in Romania relevant at an international level. As many difficulties exist, understanding the key factors that limit the success of public health programs may provide guidance in shaping future strategies. Because similar issues are being faced in various other countries, the management of measles in Romania offers valuable lessons for researchers and policy-makers alike.

Keywords: Romania; epidemic; measles; outbreak; public health; vaccination.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual measles incidence and MCV coverage in Romania from (A) 1960 to 1999 and (B) 2000 to 2018. Blue and green dotted lines represent the introduction of the MCV1 (1979) and MCV2 (1994) vaccines, respectively. Data available in Supplementary Tables 1, 2. Estimates for MCV1 coverage are only from 1983 onwards, and MCV2 coverage estimates are unavailable before the year 2000. Coverage data for 2018 unavailable at the time of writing.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The 2016 Romanian measles epidemic. (A) The epidemic as of 21 December 2018: 15,587 total number of cases, with 59 confirmed deaths. County codes are depicted in the figure. (B) Number of new measles cases from October 2016 to December 2018. Figure based on data from the weekly reports released by the Romanian National Center for the Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases (CNSCBT). For the evolution of the epidemic by county, see Supplementary Video. Epidemic data (at national level) is available in Supplementary Table 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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