Epidemiological, Clinical, and Clinical Course Profile of Measles during the 2023–2024 Outbreak in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Introduction: Measles is a widespread exanthematous febrile illness caused by a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. The reservoir is exclusively human, and transmission occurs between humans. It is one of the most contagious infectious diseases. In Burkina Faso, measles remains a public health problem. The country experienced a major epidemic from November 2023 to August 2024. Objective: To study the epidemiological, clinical, and disease-progression profile of measles during the 2023–2024 epidemic in Burkina Faso. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study used data on measles cases reported in Burkina Faso from 1 November 2023 to 31 August 2024. The data were obtained from the database of the Directorate of Population Health Protection. Descriptive analysis was performed using Excel 2019. Results: A total of 7,149 measles cases were included. The overall incidence of measles was 33.28 per 100,000 inhabitants. Males were overrepresented, accounting for 51.45% of cases. The median age was 4 years. The most frequently represented age group was 0–5 years, accounting for 55.81% of cases. Most measles cases were unvaccinated, accounting for 55.31% of cases. The Hauts-Bassins and Centre regions were the most affected, with incidence rates of 67.78 and 60.17 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. The health districts of Houndé (14.69%) in the Hauts-Bassins region and Bogodogo (10.77%) in the Centre region reported the highest numbers of cases. Epidemiological weeks S08-2024 and S12-2024 recorded the highest numbers of measles cases, accounting for 7.33% and 7.32% of cases, respectively. Only 11.87% of cases had travelled within the seven days before the onset of clinical symptoms. Fever, rash, and cough were the most commonly reported symptoms, occurring in 96.87%, 95.06%, and 89.29% of cases, respectively. Laboratory confirmation was obtained in 9.79% of cases. The measles case-fatality rate during the outbreak was 0.45%. Conclusion: Measles remains a public health problem, underscoring the need to strengthen the Expanded Programme on Immunization, outbreak response, and nationwide vaccination strategies.