A new study in the Lancet Global Health found that vaccination strategies including non-selective supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) reduced the measles burden more than delivering a second dose of measles-containing vaccine through routine services (MCV2), though were less efficient due to a wider targeted age range. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Public Health Foundation of India used an age-structured compartmental dynamic model, the Dynamic Measles Immunization Calculation Engine (DynaMICE), to assess the effects of different vaccination strategies on measles susceptibility and burden during 2000–20 in 14 countries with high measles incidence.
Compared with no vaccination, MCV1 implementation was estimated to have prevented 824 million cases of measles and 9·6 million deaths from measles, with a median number needed to vaccinate (NNV) of 1·41 (IQR 1·35–1·44).
Adding routine MCV2 to MCV1 was estimated to have prevented 108 million cases and 404,270 deaths.
Adding SIAs to MCV1 was estimated to have prevented 256 million cases and 4·4 million deaths.
Despite larger incremental effects, adding SIAs to MCV1 (median incremental NNV 6·02, 5·30–7·68) showed reduced efficiency compared with adding routine MCV2 (5·41, 4·76–6·11).
This analysis provides information to help improve the health effects and efficiency of measles vaccination strategies. The interplay between MCV1, MCV2, and SIAs should be considered when planning future measles vaccination strategies.
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