Descriptive epidemiology of measles in the southern region of Afghanistan, 2024-2025: a secondary analysis from regional case-based surveillance data.
4 affiliations
- 1Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, Afghanistan Country Office, Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 2Faculty of Public Health, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 3TPM Technical Department, Particip GmbH Afghanistan Country Office, Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 4Faculty of Medicine, Afghan International Islamic University (AIIU), Kabul, Afghanistan.
Abstract
After a three-fold increase in measles outbreaks in Afghanistan during 2024, this study aimed to assess the descriptive epidemiology of measles in the southern region. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on case-based measles surveillance data retrieved from the District Health Information System 2 for the period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. Demographic, clinical, and immunization status data were summarized descriptively and surveillance system performance was assessed using World Health Organization indicators. Of 4379 suspected measles cases, 3346 (76.4%) were laboratory-confirmed and 52.7% were males. The median age was 24 months (interquartile range 12-60), and four-fifths were children aged under 5 years. A total of 66.5% of cases were from Kandahar; overall, 80.9% of all cases and 80.2% of confirmed cases did not have a measles-containing vaccine record. Helmand had the highest proportion of unvaccinated cases at 97.7%. The overall discarded rate was 10.55 per 100,000 population; the adequate time for investigation, specimen adequacy, laboratory receipt of specimen, and communication of results with public health authorities were 98.3%, 99.1%, 77.7%, and 82.8%, respectively. Measles transmission in southern Afghanistan during 2024-2025 was predominantly recorded along with a large unvaccinated population for measles-containing vaccine, concentrated in children aged under 5 years, with highlighted provincial disparities in immunization and surveillance timeliness. Geographically differentiated responses prioritizing outreach vaccination and strengthening specimen transport in the lowest-performing provinces are urgently required.
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BibTeX
@article{naeemi2026descriptive,
title = {{Descriptive epidemiology of measles in the southern region of Afghanistan, 2024-2025: a secondary analysis from regional case-based surveillance data.}},
author = {Shoaib Naeemi and Mustafa Rahimi and Nisar Ahmad Niazi and Rohullah Sakhi},
journal = {IJID regions},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.ijregi.2026.101036},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999640},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Descriptive epidemiology of measles in the southern region of Afghanistan, 2024-2025: a secondary analysis from regional case-based surveillance data.
AU - Shoaib Naeemi
AU - Mustafa Rahimi
AU - Nisar Ahmad Niazi
AU - Rohullah Sakhi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/04
JO - IJID regions
DO - 10.1016/j.ijregi.2026.101036
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999640
AB - After a three-fold increase in measles outbreaks in Afghanistan during 2024, this study aimed to assess the descriptive epidemiology of measles in the southern region. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on case-based measles surveillance data retrieved from the District Health Information System 2 for the period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. Demographic, clinical, and immunization status data were summarized descriptively and surveillance system performance was assessed using World Health Organization indicators. Of 4379 suspected measles cases, 3346 (76.4%) were laboratory-confirmed and 52.7% were males. The median age was 24 months (interquartile range 12-60), and four-fifths were children aged under 5 years. A total of 66.5% of cases were from Kandahar; overall, 80.9% of all cases and 80.2% of confirmed cases did not have a measles-containing vaccine record. Helmand had the highest proportion of unvaccinated cases at 97.7%. The overall discarded rate was 10.55 per 100,000 population; the adequate time for investigation, specimen adequacy, laboratory receipt of specimen, and communication of results with public health authorities were 98.3%, 99.1%, 77.7%, and 82.8%, respectively. Measles transmission in southern Afghanistan during 2024-2025 was predominantly recorded along with a large unvaccinated population for measles-containing vaccine, concentrated in children aged under 5 years, with highlighted provincial disparities in immunization and surveillance timeliness. Geographically differentiated responses prioritizing outreach vaccination and strengthening specimen transport in the lowest-performing provinces are urgently required.
SN - 2772-7076
ER -