Risk factors for measles among infants in Tianjin, China

•This case-control study evaluated risk factors for acquiring measles.•Visiting a municipal hospital or a specialty hospital was associated with measles.•Visiting township or district hospitals was not associated with acquiring measles.

ObjectivesInfants aged <8 months are ineligible for measles vaccination in China but represent a disproportionate number of cases. We examined the risk factors for measles among infants in Tianjin, China.Study designCase-control study.MethodsCases were enrolled from a surveillance system, and IgG-negative controls were sampled from registries at immunization clinics. A logistic regression model assessed for risk factors.ResultsAmong 82 cases and 485 controls, exposure to a municipal hospital (OR [odds ratio]: 5.21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19-22.82) or a specialty hospital (OR: 13.22; 95% CI: 6.13-28.51) was associated with the disease, whereas visiting a township or district hospitals was not associated with increased odds of measles.ConclusionsHospitals were an important focal point of measles transmission for infants. Hospitals, particularly higher-level municipal and specialty hospitals, should enforce infection control programs to separate infants with highly communicable diseases to prevent transmission.