{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T19:32:34Z","timestamp":1791401554275,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,26]],"date-time":"2025-05-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748217600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Measles remains a major public health issue, particularly among paediatric populations who are unvaccinated or lack of maternal antibody transfer. Although the majority of cases manifest with moderate clinical forms, certain patient categories are at risk for severe disease progression. This study aims to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of paediatric measles cases hospitalized in the Paediatric Departments of the \u201cProf. Dr. Matei Bal\u0219\u201d National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Bucharest, Romania during two distinct epidemic waves: 2017\u20132019 and 2023\u20132024. A retrospective analysis evaluated mortality rates, distribution by age and sex, as well as clinical disease patterns. The 2023\u20132024 measles epidemic was marked by a higher number of paediatric cases (3.114 vs. 1.068), a lower mortality rate (0.32% vs. 3.74%), a shift towards older age groups, and a greater frequency of complications\u2014particularly gastrointestinal, haematological, and ophthalmological\u2014compared to the 2017\u20132019 wave. The findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened vaccination programs and targeted public health interventions, particularly among vulnerable groups and patients at risk of developing severe forms of the disease. Owing to a sustained decline in measles vaccination coverage among the paediatric population, Romania has experienced two major measles outbreaks within the past decade, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws attention to the increasing incidence of measles in older children, suggesting a cumulative effect of reduced immunization rates over time.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v17060755","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,29]],"date-time":"2025-05-29T03:30:19Z","timestamp":1748489419000},"page":"755","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Paediatric Measles in Romania: A Comparative Clinical and Epidemiological Analysis of the 2017\u20132019 and 2023\u20132024 Epidemic Waves at a Tertiary Care Centre in Bucharest"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4193-063X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gheorghi\u021b\u0103","family":"Jugulete","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Dentistry, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"National Institute for Infectious Diseases \u201cProf. Dr. Matei Bals\u201d, No 1 Dr. Calistrat Grozovici Street, 021105 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-8902-2051","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u0103d\u0103lina Maria","family":"Meri\u0219escu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Dentistry, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"National Institute for Infectious Diseases \u201cProf. Dr. Matei Bals\u201d, No 1 Dr. Calistrat Grozovici Street, 021105 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bianca","family":"Borcos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute for Infectious Diseases \u201cProf. Dr. Matei Bals\u201d, No 1 Dr. Calistrat Grozovici Street, 021105 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandra Nicoleta","family":"Totoianu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute for Infectious Diseases \u201cProf. Dr. Matei Bals\u201d, No 1 Dr. Calistrat Grozovici Street, 021105 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anca Oana","family":"Dragomirescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Faculty of Dentistry, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Institutul Na\u021bional de S\u0103n\u0103tate Public\u0103 (2025, April 21). 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