Measles Vaccine Spray Could Boost Developing Countries
March 2, 2000 (Minneapolis) -- There's good news for developing countries still battling measles. Delivering a booster of the measles vaccine through an aerosol spray may be as effective and safer than giving injections, according to a report from South African researchers in this week's issue of the journal The Lancet.
"The aerosol route of administration ... is particularly suited to mass immunization campaigns because of its cost-effectiveness," lead author Athmanundh Dilraj tells WebMD. He adds that it is quick and easy to administer by workers with limited medical training. Dilraj is a senior research scientist and PhD candidate at the Medical Research Council in Durban, South Africa.
In this study, more than 4,300 children ranging from 5 to 14 years old received one of two different strains of measles and received the vaccines by either injection or aerosol spray. After following the children for one year, they found that the aerosol was the most effective at building up immunity for one strain of measles. It was less effective at building up immunity for another strain of the disease.
However, there may be a difference in response by ethnicity, the authors write. Children of Indian descent had a better response to the aerosolized vaccine than African children.
One observer agrees. "An aerosol delivery of booster doses of the measles vaccine is promising in the developing world," says Edgar K. Marcuse, MD, a pediatrician with an interest in immunization at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle. However, for parents in the U.S. who may be hoping to spare children the discomfort of the measles booster often required before entry into middle school or junior high, these findings have limited relevance because the injected vaccines used in this trial are not those currently in widespread use in the U.S., Marcuse tells WebMD. He is professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington.
Caused by a virus, measles is a common contagious disease most often seen in childhood. Symptoms include mild to high fever, harsh cough, runny nose, red eyes, sneezing, and tiny white spots on gums or inside cheeks. These symptoms are generally followed by the typical measles rash, which spreads from the face downward to the arms and legs, and peeling skin.