Measles Serosurvey

The Issue

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases and people of all ages can get it if they do not have immunity from vaccination or past infection. Canada eliminated measles in 1998. An increase in measles cases imported from abroad, inadequate vaccination coverage, and the potential for measles vaccine-mediated immunity to wane could make it difficult for Canada to sustain its elimination status.  The goal of the study is to understand population-level immunity to measles in Canada at the national and provincial level in order to understand which groups may be at risk of outbreaks.

The Evidence

This study will assess population immunity to measles in Canada using blood donor specimens from across Canada (about 8874 samples from CBS).

Donor blood samples will be tested for measles antibodies, and the results combined with basic demographic information. All donor data will be anonymized and no master list maintained to protect the confidentiality of donors.

The Impact

Sero-epidemiology combines cross-sectional antibody prevalence surveys with epidemiological analysis of population demographics. By focusing on blood specimens, sero-epidemiology accounts for vaccine failure and waning immunity.  This is important for prediction future outbreaks overall, by age-group and by province.

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