Measles: A Quantitative Analysis of World Publications during 2001–2010

Abstract:

The study investigates research efforts in measles—ranked among the top ten global burden of diseases, both as a cause of death and as a cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Quantitative analysis of publications output in measles during the period 2001–2010 was undertaken on several parameters including publication growth, citation quality, format, country-wise contribution, subject-wise contribution, collaborative linkages, leading institutions, prolific authors, etc. The study shows the number of publications per capita and per GDP is quite low in developing countries irrespective of the significant number of measles cases found in these countries. The study highlights effective surveillance, holding mass immunization campaigns, improvement in health infrastructure and strengthening of research efforts in measles research are the key strategies to control this disease in the developed and developing countries.