Low seroconversion rates to measles vaccine among children in Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The Nigerian Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was assessed with particular reference to measles immunization. Of 150 children who received measles vaccine at the Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 82 (54.7%) seroconverted. The immune response was directly related to the titre of the vaccines used. Vaccines whose titres were 10(-1) to 10(1.7) stimulated immune responses in 0-25% of vaccinees, those with titres in the range 10(-2.1) to 10(-2.5) stimulated responses in 12-47.6%, while those with titres of 10(-2.7) to 10(-3.4) stimulated responses in 87.5-100% of vaccinees. Only one of the vaccines used had a titre that met the minimum WHO required standard of log 10(-3) TCID50 at the point of vaccination