Comparative seroprevalence of measles virus immunoglobulin M antibodies in children aged 0-8 months and a control population aged 9-23 months presenting with measles-like symptoms in selected hospitals in Kaduna State.

BACKGROUND

Measles remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable childhood mortality in developing countries, with its greatest incidence in children younger than 2 years of age. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of measles virus in children (aged 0-8 months) and older children (aged 9-23 months) presenting with measles-like symptoms.

METHODS

A total of 273 blood samples comprising 200 from children aged 0-8 months and 73 from children aged 9-23 months were collected and analyzed for measles virus IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

An overall prevalence of 21.2% was obtained, with a prevalence of 6.5% in children aged 0-8 months and 61.6% in children aged 9-23 months. The prevalence of measles virus increased with age in children aged 0-8 months and decreased with age in older children (aged 9-23 months), showing a significant association between measles virus and age of the child (P=0.000). A higher prevalence was found in females (27.5%) than in males (16.3%) and this difference was significant (odds ratio 1.942, P=0.025). There was no significant association with the level of parental education, parental occupation, or number of children in the family (P>0.05). With respect to children's vaccination status and breastfeeding, there was a significant association (P<0.05). The marital status of the family, place of residence, and household size showed no significant association with the prevalence of measles virus. However, a significant association was observed in relation to maternal measles history (odds ratio 2.535, P=0.005) and maternal vaccination status (odds ratio 1.791, P=0.049), as well as between measles virus infection and all presenting symptoms, except for vomiting, malaria, typhoid, and pneumonia, which showed no significant association (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study confirm the presence of measles virus infection in children aged 0-8 months.