Measles outbreak preparedness is a crucial element of general preparedness for infectious threats under the IHR. While prevention of measles is the critical aim of the health system, there are instances when the surveillance system must be prepared to scale-up actions to be ready to respond to an imminent measles outbreak and limit its spread.
Outbreak preparedness plans should also account for the challenges of humanitarian and fragile settings, where timely specimen transport, sample integrity, and access to laboratory testing may be compromised. In such contexts, pre-positioning of laboratory supplies, simplified specimen referral protocols, and clear coordination with humanitarian partners are critical to ensure confirmation capacity. Preparedness should also include mapping of high-risk, hard-to-reach populations (e.g. IDPs, refugee camps) and protocols for rapid sample collection and dispatch, even in the absence of fully functioning routine surveillance systems. In humanitarian contexts, establishing an early warning surveillance system in displacement camps with clear alert thresholds can facilitate prompt detection and response. EWARS