The number of cases of measles in Maharashtra
Mumbai reported two measles cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to 514, while the number of fatalities remained at nine, according to a civic official.
He added that there are five additional suspected cases in the city, the cause of which has not yet been determined in five of them.
A press release from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation stated that 37 children were admitted to hospitals during the day and an equal number were released.
Only 114 of the 335 beds designated for the treatment of the infection were actually in use, it continued.
Measles Rubella special dose
According to the press release, 77,827 of the 2,60,739 children in the 9-month to 5-year-old age range in 78 health posts have received additional doses of the Measles-Rubella special dose.
1,940 of the 5,293 infants in the 6- to 9-month age range in 21 health posts, where the proportion of cases in the under-9-month group is greater than 10% of lab-confirmed cases, received “zero doses” of the MR vaccine.
As of Friday, 1,162 people in Maharashtra had the measles, and 20 had died as a result.
According to a state health department report, a special campaign to give children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years old additional doses of measles and rubella over a 28-day period of time began on December 15.
According to the press release, as part of the unique statewide campaign, 13,434 additional vaccination sessions resulted in the administration of 55,410 first doses and 53,951 doses of MR to children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning last month that a record number of nearly 40 million children worldwide will miss a measles vaccination in 2021, making them “dangerously susceptible” to contracting the disease.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that it is imperative to restart immunisation programmes.
Other vaccine-preventable diseases like polio have also seen a resurgence globally as a result of disruptions to immunisation programmes.
