MEASLES IN HULU LANGAT 2018: WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE RATE?
Abstract
Background: Hulu Langat district recorded 287 laboratory confirmed measles cases in 2018 and has been declared the district which has the highest incidence rate in Malaysia with 225.6 per 1 million populations. The objective of our study was to analyse the situation of measles in Hulu Langat district in 2018, identified the contributing factors, implement the control measures and see the impact of the strategies that has been done.
Materials and Methods: The data from ‘Sistem Maklumat Siasatan Measles’ (SM2) of suspected cases in 2018 were analysed. We further analysis the public health response that was done followed by root cause analysis to identify the contributing factors. Analysis was done again using the 2019 data to see the effect of strategies that was implemented.
Result: Root cause analysis that was done able to identify that 1) inadequate human resource in investigating cases, 2) not adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of measles management and 3) sample were not taken during notification as the contributing factors to Hulu Langat’s 2018 situation. Few measures were done accordingly in the end 2018 and early 2019. By the end of 2019, better public health response has been taken place and thus contributing the reduction of laboratory confirmed measles cases to 53 cases (reduction of 81.5%) and the measles incidence cases also have reduced to 41.6 per 1 million populations in 2019.
Conclusion: The measles control strategies that was done appear to have been successful in reducing the number of cases and incidence of measles in Hulu Langat district.
Keywords: Measles incidence, public health response, control measures, Hulu Langat