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Read with interest article “Measles is now “an imminent threat” globally, WHO and CDC warn” and given the way things are unfolding across Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) including India, no one should be surprised at the warning. [1]
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, no doubt has been one of the worst health crisis to confront us in our recent memory as it impacted not just health and economies; societal disruption has not remained unspared. [2] However, what it probably impacted the most is exposing (about us) a collective lack of preparedness and an inability of our systems to defeat the outcomes. While lives have been lost to the acute manifestation of the disease or will continue to be lost to both acute and chronic manifestation of disease, the collateral damage of dealing with the pandemic is beginning to unfold as well.
A case in point is the measles outbreak in Mumbai, the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the second-most populous city in India with a population of roughly 20 million. The city has reported more than 200 cases in the past two months only with at least 13 children reported to have lost their lives due to the infection. [3] Compared to previous years; 10 cases and one death in 2021; 29 cases and no death in 2020; and 37 cases and three deaths in 2019, the numbers are significant. As per the report by the state government of Maharashtra, the outbreak seems to have been precipitated by a decrease in the immunization during the pandemic with only 41 per cent of eligible children having been inoculated against measles in Mumbai. With measles, as contagious a disease as it is, even a 5 per cent fall in the vaccination rate can disrupt herd immunity and precipitate larger outbreaks. A rise in measles cases has also been reported from other parts of India, proving that the gains of the Universal Immunization Program may be being overturned by the pandemic.
Reference:
1. Iacobucci G. Measles is now “an imminent threat” globally, WHO and CDC warn BMJ 2022;379:o2844
2. Raina SK. Training in public health and community medicine without training of precautionary principles is incomplete. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care: 2022 – 11;10:5875-5876
3. Measles outbreak hits Mumbai and nearby areas: 13 deaths in a month. Available online at:https://indianexpress.com. last accessed: November 25th 2022.
Dr. Sunil Kumar Raina, MD
Professor & Head Community Medicine
Dr. RP Govt. Medical College, Tanda (HP), India ojasrainasunil@yahoo.co.in
Note: the opinions expressed are solely those of the author and should not be imputed to any public or private entities.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
25 November 2022
Sunil Kumar Raina
Professor
Dr, RP Govt. Medical College, Tanda, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India
Dr, RP Govt. Medical College, Tanda, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India
Rising measles cases in India - Are the gains of the Universal Immunization Program being overturned by the pandemic?
Dear Editor
Read with interest article “Measles is now “an imminent threat” globally, WHO and CDC warn” and given the way things are unfolding across Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) including India, no one should be surprised at the warning. [1]
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, no doubt has been one of the worst health crisis to confront us in our recent memory as it impacted not just health and economies; societal disruption has not remained unspared. [2] However, what it probably impacted the most is exposing (about us) a collective lack of preparedness and an inability of our systems to defeat the outcomes. While lives have been lost to the acute manifestation of the disease or will continue to be lost to both acute and chronic manifestation of disease, the collateral damage of dealing with the pandemic is beginning to unfold as well.
A case in point is the measles outbreak in Mumbai, the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the second-most populous city in India with a population of roughly 20 million. The city has reported more than 200 cases in the past two months only with at least 13 children reported to have lost their lives due to the infection. [3] Compared to previous years; 10 cases and one death in 2021; 29 cases and no death in 2020; and 37 cases and three deaths in 2019, the numbers are significant. As per the report by the state government of Maharashtra, the outbreak seems to have been precipitated by a decrease in the immunization during the pandemic with only 41 per cent of eligible children having been inoculated against measles in Mumbai. With measles, as contagious a disease as it is, even a 5 per cent fall in the vaccination rate can disrupt herd immunity and precipitate larger outbreaks. A rise in measles cases has also been reported from other parts of India, proving that the gains of the Universal Immunization Program may be being overturned by the pandemic.
Reference:
1. Iacobucci G. Measles is now “an imminent threat” globally, WHO and CDC warn BMJ 2022;379:o2844
2. Raina SK. Training in public health and community medicine without training of precautionary principles is incomplete. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care: 2022 – 11;10:5875-5876
3. Measles outbreak hits Mumbai and nearby areas: 13 deaths in a month. Available online at:https://indianexpress.com. last accessed: November 25th 2022.
Dr. Sunil Kumar Raina, MD
Professor & Head Community Medicine
Dr. RP Govt. Medical College, Tanda (HP), India
ojasrainasunil@yahoo.co.in
Note: the opinions expressed are solely those of the author and should not be imputed to any public or private entities.
Competing interests: No competing interests