Measles is Back - Considerations for laboratory diagnosis




AuthorsDunn JJ, Baldanti F, Puchhammer E, Panning M, Perez O, Harvala H, Pan American Society for Clinical Virology (PASCV) Clinical Practice and Public Policy Committee and the European Society for Clinical Virology (ESCV) Executive Committee

Publication year2020

JournalJournal of Clinical Virology

Journal name in sourceJournal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology

Journal acronymJ Clin Virol

Volume128

ISSN1386-6532

eISSN1873-5967

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104430


Abstract
Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that continues to cause significant mortality among young children worldwide despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. During the first half of 2019, over 182 countries reported more than 300,000 measles cases; greater than double the number from the same period in 2018. Timely recognition and laboratory confirmation of infected individuals as well as appropriate infection prevention measures are crucial to avert further transmission. This review highlights the importance of early recognition of the signs and symptoms of measles and provides details on the laboratory methods commonly employed to confirm cases, investigate outbreaks and characterize the virus. It's critical that clinicians, laboratorians and public health administrations work together to rapidly identify, confirm and contain the spread of measles globally.



Last updated on 2025-27-01 at 19:46