Clinical and epidemiological profile of suspected and laboratory-confirmed measles cases in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2023
6 affiliations
- 1Provincial Health Division, Provincial Vaccination Coordination, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 2Regional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, P.O Box 285, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 3Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, P.O Box 285, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 4Center For Tropical Diseases and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, P.O Box 285, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 5Dr. Lurhuma Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, P.O Box 285, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 6Service of Laboratory, Microbiology Unit, Bukavu Provincial General Referral Hospital, P.O Box 285, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Abstract
Background: Measles remains a major public health challenge in many low-resource settings, despite repeated vaccination efforts. In 2023, a resurgence of suspected measles cases was reported in South Kivu Province (Democratic Republic of Congo) following a mass vaccination campaign targeting children aged 6–59 months. This study aimed to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of suspected measles cases and to identify factors associated with measles IgM positivity in the post-campaign period.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 6–59 months presenting with clinical signs of measles in five health zones most affected by the outbreak (Kalehe, Minova, Idjwi, Miti-Murhesa, and Kalonge). Suspected cases were enrolled exhaustively from line lists provided by local health authorities. After obtaining parental consent, blood samples were collected and tested for measles and rubella IgM antibodies at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB). Data were analyzed using R version 4.3.3. Logistic regression was used to identify characteristics associated with measles IgM positivity among suspected cases.
Results: Of the 82 children tested, 39 (48%) were positive for measles IgM. Among the 43 IgM-negative children, 8 (18%) were rubella IgM positive. In adjusted analyses, measles IgM positivity showed an evidence of an association with male parental decision-making regarding child vaccination (aOR :7.22; 95% CI: 1.64–43.2; p = 0.015) and others workers (aOR: 8.28; 95%CI:1.19-48; p = < 0.008).
Conclusion: Despite reported high administrative vaccination coverage, measles continues to circulate among children in South Kivu. Strengthening immunization service quality, improving outreach to unvaccinated children, and engaging male parents and others workers may enhance vaccine acceptance and reduce measles transmission in the post-campaign period.
Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14197-3.
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BibTeX
@article{joseph2026clinical,
title = {{Clinical and epidemiological profile of suspected and laboratory-confirmed measles cases in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2023}},
author = {Matundanya Assumani Joseph and Mulume Musafiri Eric and Bashizi Cito and Christian Ciribagula and Jonathan Tshongo and Kiza Mulambe Daddy and Ngaboyeka Gaylord and Masimango Imani Mannix and Pacifique Mwene-Batu and Lupande Mwenebitu David},
journal = {BMC Infectious Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12879-026-14197-3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14197-3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Clinical and epidemiological profile of suspected and laboratory-confirmed measles cases in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2023
AU - Matundanya Assumani Joseph
AU - Mulume Musafiri Eric
AU - Bashizi Cito
AU - Christian Ciribagula
AU - Jonathan Tshongo
AU - Kiza Mulambe Daddy
AU - Ngaboyeka Gaylord
AU - Masimango Imani Mannix
AU - Pacifique Mwene-Batu
AU - Lupande Mwenebitu David
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/11
JO - BMC Infectious Diseases
DO - 10.1186/s12879-026-14197-3
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14197-3
AB - Background: Measles remains a major public health challenge in many low-resource settings, despite repeated vaccination efforts. In 2023, a resurgence of suspected measles cases was reported in South Kivu Province (Democratic Republic of Congo) following a mass vaccination campaign targeting children aged 6–59 months. This study aimed to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of suspected measles cases and to identify factors associated with measles IgM positivity in the post-campaign period. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 6–59 months presenting with clinical signs of measles in five health zones most affected by the outbreak (Kalehe, Minova, Idjwi, Miti-Murhesa, and Kalonge). Suspected cases were enrolled exhaustively from line lists provided by local health authorities. After obtaining parental consent, blood samples were collected and tested for measles and rubella IgM antibodies at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB). Data were analyzed using R version 4.3.3. Logistic regression was used to identify characteristics associated with measles IgM positivity among suspected cases. Results: Of the 82 children tested, 39 (48%) were positive for measles IgM. Among the 43 IgM-negative children, 8 (18%) were rubella IgM positive. In adjusted analyses, measles IgM positivity showed an evidence of an association with male parental decision-making regarding child vaccination (aOR :7.22; 95% CI: 1.64–43.2; p = 0.015) and others workers (aOR: 8.28; 95%CI:1.19-48; p = < 0.008). Conclusion: Despite reported high administrative vaccination coverage, measles continues to circulate among children in South Kivu. Strengthening immunization service quality, improving outreach to unvaccinated children, and engaging male parents and others workers may enhance vaccine acceptance and reduce measles transmission in the post-campaign period. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14197-3.
SN - 1471-2334
ER -