Epidemiology of measles

Disability-adjusted life year for measles per 100,000 inhabitants, 2004.
  no data
  ≤ 10
  10–25
  25–50
  50–75
  75–100
  100–250
  250–500
  500–750
  750–1000
  1000–1500
  1500–2000
  ≥ 2000

Measles is extremely contagious, but surviving the infection results in lifelong immunity,[1] so its continued circulation in a community depends on the generation of susceptible hosts by birth of children. In communities which generate insufficient new hosts the disease will die out. This concept was first recognized by Bartlett in 1957, who referred to the minimum number supporting measles as the critical community size (CCS).[2] Analysis of outbreaks in island communities suggested that the CCS for measles is c. 250,000.[3] Due to the development of vaccination against measles, the world has seen a 99% decrease in measles related cases compared cases before the vaccine was developed.[4]

  1. ^ "CDC - Pinkbook: Measles Chapter - Epidemiology of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases". Archived from the original on 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  2. ^ Bartlett M (1957). "Measles periodicity and community size". J. R. Stat. Soc. Ser. A (120): 48–70.
  3. ^ Black FL (1966). "Measles endemicity in insular populations; critical community size and its evolutionary implications". Journal of Theoretical Biology. 11 (2): 207–11. Bibcode:1966JThBi..11..207B. doi:10.1016/0022-5193(66)90161-5. PMID 5965486.
  4. ^ "About Measles Vaccination | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2022-12-09.