This year, nearly 40 children have died and, according to data, 10,000 have been infected with measles. The junior health minister, Bharati Pravin Pawar, informed the parliament recently. A total of 3,076 Measles cases have been observed, with 13 diseases causing deaths, followed by Jharkhand State cases of approximately 2,683 cases, and 8 deaths confirmed. Meanwhile, Gujarat (1,650); Haryana (1,537); Bihar (1,276); and Kerala (196) are the states with the most cases. The number of deaths in Gujarat, Haryana, and Bihar stands at 9, 3, and 7.
According to health ministry officials, some of the reported cases and deaths were not laboratory confirmed but were still included in the list because the patients’ clinical symptoms were similar to those with the disease, and they lived in areas with high risk for the disease.
Measles is a dangerous and contagious disease that is caused by a virus. It spreads from one person to another either by coughing, sneezing, etc. There is no anti-viral treatment for measles; only certain vaccines are available to prevent the disease. Last month, the Maharashtra government’s centre administered an additional dose of measles and rubella-containing vaccine (MRCV) to all children aged 9 to 12 months, and the second dose to children aged 16 to 24 months.
The government has also recommended that one dose of MRCV be administered to all children who are 6 to 9 months old, and if measles cases are found in the younger age group above 10% of the total cases in any region, certain actions pertaining to the caution measures will be taken from the authorized departments.
The government is increasing immunisation with measles-containing vaccines, managing vaccine hesitancy, and other activities to strengthen surveillance and will surely take timely actions to benefit with all the requirements to everyone.
