We describe characteristics of an ongoing measles outbreak in Wallonia, Belgium, and difficulties in control measures implementation. As at 12 March 2017, 177 measles cases were notified, of which 50% were 15 years and older, 49% female. Atypical clinical presentation and severe complications, mainly among adults, in combination with late notification, low or unknown vaccination coverage of contacts, infected healthcare workers and increased workload due to contact tracing, are the main concerns for outbreak management.
Keywords: Belgium; Europe; epidemiology; healthcare-associated infections; infection control; measles; post-exposure prophylaxis; public health policy; surveillance; vaccines and immunisation.
This article is copyright of The Authors, 2017.