MEASLES CONTROL IN MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE, USING A SINGLE-DOSE OF SCHWARZVACCINE AT AGE 9 MONTHS

In Maputo city immunization is available at government health faciliti es, all contacts being used to vaccinate children. Door-to-door mobili zation is conducted to identify eligible children and refer them for i mmunization. Card-documented measles vaccine coverage, estimated by co mmunity surveys, rose from 48% in 1982 to 86% in 1986 and 92% in 1992. The median age at measles vaccination was 10.2 months in 1986 and 9.2 months in 1992. The reported measles incidence rates per 100 000 popu lation fell by 92% from 569 in 1977-78 (pre-vaccination) to 44 in 1990 -92, and the reported inpatient measles mortality fell from 19.8 to 0. 7 per 100 000. Among children whose age at measles onset was known, th e proportion of reported measles cases in children under 9 months of a ge fell from 2162 (20.3% of 10 636 cases) in 1982-85 to 1695 (17.8% of 9501 cases) in 1986-92. The proportion of cases in children aged grea ter than or equal to 5 years increased from 15.2% to 32.8% in the corr esponding periods. The global goals for measles control can be achieve d by a single dose of Schwarz vaccine at 9 months of age.