Abstract:
Background: Measles is a serious respiratory disease that is spread easily through coughing
and sneezing of the measles virus for which humans are the only reservoir. Even though
prevention and elimination strategies had been implemented, the outbreaks of measles
infection quietly occur in different parts of the world. As of November 2019 a suspected
measles outbreak was reported from Tepi campus student’s clinic. We investigated the
outbreak to determine its possible sources, control measures and identify associated risk
factors among students of Mizan-Tepi University.
Methods: A facility based unmatched case-control study was conducted. An interviewer
administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were cleaned and entered to
Epi-info7 and analyzed using SPSS-20. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to
identify risk factors associated with measles outbreak at a p-value ≤0.05.
Results: A total of 40 measles cases were reported during the investigation. The probable
source of the outbreak was an index case who had a travel history to a district with the
measles epidemic. Five samples were collected for confirmation of the diagnosis. No
measles-related deaths were reported. The major risk factors for measles infection in MizanTepi University were being unvaccinated [AOR = 5.21, 95% CI (1.938, 12.058)], being
female [AOR = 4.21, 95% CI (1.426, 11.182)], age group of 18–20 [AOR = 0.123, 95% CI
(0.041, 0.37)] and having a contact history [AOR = 0.149, 95% CI (0.041, 0.544)].
Conclusion: The findings of the present investigation indicated that being unvaccinated and
having a contact history with confirmed or suspected cases increased the risk of measles
infection. Reduction in the level of protective antibodies over time may accelerate transmis
sion of measles in the campus. Strengthening case-based surveillance and supplemental
measles vaccination are imperative.
