Measles cases on the rise, poor immunization being blamed

A total of 9489 measles cases have been reported across the country this year so far, a big spike as compared to last years.

Mumbai: India is witnessing a spike in measles cases with experts blaming poor immunization as the reason, officials said. As per official data, a total of 9489 measles cases have been reported across the country this year so far, a considerable spike as compared to last few years. As per officials, 5604 cases of measles were reported in 2020 and 5700 in 2021.

In 2019, 10430 cases of measles were reported. The spike in the cases is being attributed to poor vaccination. Public health experts have already warned of an outbreak of measles in 2022 due to declining vaccination rates. In Maharashtra's capital Mumbai, seven children have died due to measles amid poor immunization.

As per officials, there are 20,000 children aged 0 to 2 years who have missed a dose of measles vaccination in Mumbai. Initially, the deaths were categorised as “suspicious”. It was only after the findings of the Death Audit Committee, it came to the fore that the children had died due to measles. The development has alarmed health officials in Mumbai with massive screening of children currently underway.

Measles is a viral illness characterized by high fever (up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit) coupled with maculopapular rashes. Measles is prevalent in eight areas in Govandi and Mumbai, officials said.

The chief executive officer of the municipality's Health Department Mangala Gomare informed that an additional vaccination campaign has been launched in the affected areas. As per officials, a total of 279 cases of fever and rashes were reported in Mumbai in 2020 of which 25 had measles. Likewise in 2021, of the 408 cases of fever and rashes, nine had measles.

So far in 2022, 1079 cases of fever and rashes have been detected out of which 142 patients have developed measles. It signifies that the number of measles patients has increased by five times compared to 2020 and 15 times compared to 2021.