Measles Complications and Their Related Factors in Children Presenting to the Tertiary Care Hospital of Peshawar. A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the vaccination status, complications, and outcome of children infected with measles
in a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar.
Study Design: A cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Medical Teaching Institute, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan, from 1^st August to 2024 to 31^st January 2025.
Methods: A hundred and seventy-nine children between 2 months and 15 years of age presenting with fever, maculopapular rash, and clinical features suggestive of measles were enrolled through consecutive sampling after informed parental consent and ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board. Data were collected using a predesigned, structured questionnaire covering demographics, contact history, vaccination status, feeding practices, nutritional status, measles-related complications, and in-hospital mortality. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. A P-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The mean age was 1.8 ±2.05 years (Mean±S.D.), the mean weight was 10.1± 4.02 kg (Mean ±S.D.), 67% (120) males and 33% (59) females. 15.1% (27) were from urban areas and 84.9% (152) were from rural areas. Of all, 12 % (12) expired, and 7.3% (13) developed motor functional impairment. Encephalitis, myocarditis, and vaccination status were strongly associated with mortality in children. Children who died were not vaccinated against measles.
Conclusion: Measles can be effectively controlled only through complete two-dose vaccination with timely booster doses. An early dose at 6 months of age can reduce the epidemic among children below 1 year of age. Outbreaks place a heavy burden on healthcare systems and disrupt society, highlighting the need for strong, sensitive, and continuous public health surveillance to enable early detection and rapid response to every suspected case.

How to cite this: Ahmad M, Parvaiz H, Hameed A, Nawaz S. Measles Complications and Their Related Factors in Children Presenting to
the Tertiary Care Hospital of Peshawar. A Cross-Sectional Study. Life and Science. 2026; 7(2): 189-195. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.1123