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REVIEW
Current problems and future prospects of specific measles therapy
Saint Petersburg Pasteur Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Irina N Lavrentieva
Mira St., 14, St. Petersburg, 197101, Russia; ur.liam@rwal.ruetsap
Financing: supported by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and devoted to Development of New Preventive and Therapeutic Drugs against Socially Significant Viral Diseases. UDC 578.2.213; State Registration Number 121030200272-6.
Author contribution: Zarubaev VV — literature review, preparation of the manuscript; Lavrentieva IN — preparation of the manuscript.
Measles is a severe highly contagious and vaccine-preventable disease. Before the introduction of the measle vaccine in the 1960s, an estimated 30 million cases and over 2 million deaths were recorded annually [1]. In industrialized nations, measles mortality declined during the early 20th century due to economic development, better nutrition, and enhanced supportive care, particularly antibiotic therapy for secondary bacterial pneumonia [2]. Measles mortality rates (MR) range from less than 0.01% to over 5%, largely driven by average age of infection, nutritional status, vaccination coverage, and access to medical care [3]. Measles is the leading cause of mortality among displaced populations (especially in refugee camps), whereas MR among children from major humanitarian crises was estimated at 20–30% [4]. Measles is less severe in vaccinated individuals with weak immune systems, and mortality rates in this group are lower than for measles cases in unvaccinated individuals. Increased vaccination coverage often shifts the burden of disease from average ages toward older adults with severe clinical courses and high MR.
Keywords: inhibitors, measles, infectious diseases, viruses, specific therapy