Epidemiology of measles infection and delays in seeking treatment and its associated factors ​in the Central Ethiopia Region 2025: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Background : Measle, a highly contagious airborne vaccine-preventable disease, is caused by a virus that infects the respiratory tract and belongs to the paramyxovirus family. Untreated cases in the community present difficulties for outbreak control initiatives, and ongoing measles infection demands necessitate a more thorough classification, identification of delays in seeking treatment and an epidemiological description of the issues at lower levels. Objectives : To determine the distributions of measles cases, treatment delays and theirassociated factors among several cases in the Central Ethiopia Regional State 2025. Methods : This retrospectivestudy was conducted on 3538 case line lists reported to the CEPI PHEM from November 6, 23, to June 27, 2025. After data management, means, standard deviations and proportions/percentages/frequencies for selected variables were used to analyze the data. The descriptive results arepresented in tables, graphs, and figures. The medianscore for delay in seeking standard treatment was computed after normality assumption checking. Additionally, after checking the assumptions, logistic regression was used to identify the factors affecting delay. Statistically significant factors are reported as AORsalong with 95% CIs. STATA version 16 was used for the data analysis. Results : Among 3538 patientsregistered on a line list for the specified period, 3427 patientswere included from 30 districts in the central Ethiopian region. Among the mean cases, the majority were males (1786 [52.2%]). The median age of the patientswas 2 years (IQR=1--3). Accordingly, the number of epilink-related cases accounted for the majority of the 3340 cases (97%). The study findings revealed that the proportion of delay inseeking treatment among patients was 43% [41.2- 44.5]. Generally, age, sex, receiving more than one valid measles dose, travel history and the presence of signs and symptoms of measles were associated with delays inseeking treatment. Conclusion and Recommendation : A sizable percentage of measles cases resulted in delayed treatment. To target behavioral changes among the cases in particular and the population in general, factors such as age, sex, number of valid measles doses, travel history, and specific symptoms such asrash, conjunctivitis, and coryza will be taken into account. Hence, reducing delays necessitates the implementation of public health creations campaigns, collaboration with local organizations, and the provision of counseling for caregivers regarding childhood illnesses in general, particularlyinfection.