Measles in infants younger than 9 months of age:A descriptive analysis

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of measles and measles related complications in infants younger than 9 months of age.
Methodology: A prospective observational study conducted in Department of Paediatrics Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from January to December 2018. A pre-designed study tool was used to collect data. A total number of 298 cases of less than 9 months of age that presented to the Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University with clinical diagnosis of measles were enrolled. The data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages.
Results: Out of 298 cases, majority 62% (n=185) were reported from Benazir Bhutto hospital, Rawalpindi, while 36.5% (n=109) and 1.6% (n=5) cases were reported from Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi respectively. 57.4 % of the study population was male (n=171) while 42.6 % was female (n=127). Mean age was found to be 6.62 month (SD ±2.13) with median age of 07 months. Age distribution for age groups 1-3 months, 4-6 months and 7-9 months was found to be 11% (n=33), 31.3 % (n=93), and 57.7% (n=172) respectively. 
Conclusion: High numbers of infants under 9 months of age are affected by measles. Thirty per cent cases are complicated by pneumonia, gastroenteritis and otitis media.