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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: Ten cohort and two case-control studies from Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Senegal, and Zaire comparing the mortality of nonimmunized children and children immunized with standard titre measles vaccine were analyzed to determine whether the reduction in mortality after standard titre measles immunization can be explained simply by the prevention of acute measles and its long-term consequences. Protective efficacy against death after measles immunization ranged from 30% to 86%. Efficacy was highest in the studies with short follow-up and when children were immunized in infancy. Vaccine efficacy against death was much greater than the proportion of deaths attributed to acute measles disease. In four studies from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Burundi, vaccine efficacy against death remained almost unchanged when cases of measles were excluded from the analysis. Finally, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and polio vaccinations were not associated with reduction in mortality. These findings suggest that standard titre measles vaccine may confer a beneficial effect against mortality which is unrelated to the specific protection against measles disease.
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