RUBELLA AND MEASLES - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
News: Explained
| India’s plan to eradicate measles, rubella
What's in the news?
● India had set a target to
eliminate measles and rubella (MR) by 2023,
having missed the earlier deadline of 2020, due to a variety of reasons,
exacerbated by disruptions due to the pandemic.
Key takeaways:
● From
October 2022, an outbreak of measles in Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai, had
made atleast 15 children died among several hundreds who contracted the
infection.
Importance of MR Vaccines:
● The measles virus is one
of the world’s most contagious human viruses that kills more than 1,00,000 children
every year globally, and rubella is a
leading vaccine-preventable cause of birth defects, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO).
● Both
measles and rubella can be prevented by just two doses of a safe and effective
vaccine.
● Over
the past two decades, the measles vaccine is estimated to have averted more
than 30 million deaths globally, as per the WHO’s statistics.
● In
both diseases, the symptoms are a rash and fever.
● While
measles has a high fatality rate, rubella infection in a pregnant woman will
have an impact on the foetus, resulting in birth defects.
Measles:
● It
is a highly contagious viral disease
that kills young children all over the world.
● It
is especially dangerous for children from low-income families, as it targets
malnourished children and those with weakened immune systems.
● It
can lead to blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection, and
pneumonia, among other serious complications.
Transmission:
● It's
a contagious illness spread by mucus and
saliva.
● The
virus is released into the air when a measles-infected person sneezes or
coughs.
● The
measles virus can spread through the air. As a result, anyone in that area
could be infected by the virus.
Symptoms:
● Initial
symptoms usually occur 10 - 12 days after infection and comprise high fever,
runny nose, bloodshot eyes and Koplik's
spots (tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth).
● Several
days later, a rash develops and the most severe complication includes
blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe
diarrhea and pneumonia.
Treatment:
● There
is no specific medical treatment.
● An
established measles infection has no treatment, but over-the-counter fever
reducers or vitamin A may help with symptoms.
● Measles
vaccination falls under the Universal
Immunization Programme. India has a
target of eliminating the viral disease by 2023.
● As
per the guidance of National Health Mission, in India, measles vaccination is
given under the Universal Immunization Programme at 9-12 months of age and the
second dose at 16-24 months of age.
● The
WHO recommends immunization for all children with two doses of measles vaccine,
either alone, or in a measles-rubella
(MR) or measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) combination.