Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T15:20:37.340Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Measles vaccine: a 27–year follow–up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

M. E. B. Ramsay
Affiliation:
Immunisation Division, PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ
D. Moffatt
Affiliation:
Immunisation Division, PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ
M. O'connor
Affiliation:
Immunisation Division, PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In 1964, the Medical Research Council undertook a trial of measles vaccine in over 36000 United Kingdom children; 9577 of whom received live vaccine, 10625 received inactivated followed by live vaccine, and 16328 acted as unvaccinated controls. Participants in this study have been followed to determine the long term protection from measles vaccine and follow-up data were available on 4194, 4638 and 274 respectively. During the 5–year period 1986–90, the protective efficacy of live measles vaccine has remained high at 87%, but the 95% confidence interval was wide ( –43 to 99%) due to the small numbers of cases. Between 1976 and 1990, however, the overall efficacy of the live vaccine was 92% (95% confidence interval 86 to 95%) and there was no evidence of a decline in efficacy (P = 0.13) over the 15–year period. This study suggests that the protection from live measles vaccine persists for up to 27 years after vaccination, and that no change in the current United Kingdom measles immunization policy should be made on the grounds of waning immunity.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

References

REFERENCES

1. Department of Health. Immunisation against infectious disease 1990. London: HMSO, 1990.Google Scholar
2. ACIP. Measles prevention: Recommendations of the immunization practices advisory committee. MMWR 1989; 38: 205–27.Google Scholar
Rabo, E, Taranger, J. Scandinavian model for eliminating measles, mumps and rubella. BMJ 1984; 289: 1402–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carter, H, Gorman, D. Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine: time for a two stage policy? BMJ 1992; 304: 637.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, A. Measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. BMJ 1992; 304: 779.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sloan, DSG. Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine: time for a two stage policy? BMJ 1992; 304: 916.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, E, Nokes, DJ, Anderson, RM. Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination. BMJ 1992; 304: 1440–1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, C. Measles vaccine: a 21 year follow-up. BMJ 1987; 295: 21–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Measles Vaccine Committee. Vaccination against measles: a clinical trial of live measles vaccine given alone and live vaccine preceded by killed vaccine. A report to the Medical Research Council. BMJ 1966; i: 441–6.Google Scholar
10. Measles Vaccine Committee. Vaccination against measles: clinical trial of live measles vaccine given alone and live vaccine preceded by killed vaccine. Second report to the Medical Research Council. BMJ 1968; i: 449–5.Google Scholar
11. Measles Vaccine Committee. Vaccination against measles. Clinical trial of live measles vaccine given alone and live vaccine preceded by killed vaccine. Third report to the Medical Research Council. Practitioner 1971; 206: 458–66.Google Scholar
12. Measles Vaccine Subcommittee of the Committee on Development of Vaccine and Immunisation Procedure. Clinical trial of live measles vaccine given alone and live vaccine preceded by killed vaccine. Fourth report to the Medical Research Council. Lancet 1977; ii: 571–5.Google Scholar
13. Anonymous. Communicable disease report October to December 1990. From the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. J Public Health Med 1991; 13: 127–34.Google Scholar
14.Centres for Disease Control, . Measles outbreak among vaccinated high school students –Illinois. MMWR 1984; 33: 349–51.Google Scholar
Linnemann, CC, Rotte, TC, Schiff, GM, Youtsey, J. A seropidemiologic study of a measles epidemic in a highly immunized population. Am J Epidemiol 1972; 95: 238–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dai, B, Chen, Z, Lui, Q et al. , Duration of immunity following immunization with live measles vaccine: 15 years of observation in Zhejiang province, China. Bull WHO 1991; 69: 415–23.Google ScholarPubMed