Mumbai has recorded 13 new cases of measles and one death related to the disease, taking the infection tally this year so far to 233 and the fatality toll to 12, according to the city civic body.
As many as 30 new measles patients were admitted to civic or state-run hospitals in the city on Wednesday while 22 patients were discharged, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release. Also, 156 suspected measles cases were found during the BMC's surveys, the release said on Wednesday.
Death toll rises amongst children
An eight-month-old boy from neighbouring Bhiwandi, suffering from measles, died in a city hospital on Tuesday evening, taking the toll in the city this year so far to 12, the civic body said. The child developed rashes all over the body on November 20 and was admitted to a BMC hospital on Tuesday evening but died within a few hours, the official statement said, adding the cause of death will be ascertained after an autopsy.
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The number of suspected measles cases detected so far this year also rose to 3,534 with 156 new suspected cases with synonyms like fever and rash coming to light, it said. Civic officials screened more than 3.04 lakh households in 24 hours.
Measles outbreak had been reported in 22 locations in 11 of the 24 civic wards. But the 13 new confirmed cases were from seven different wards, including A ward in South Mumbai, the BMC said.
"All cases of fever with rash are administered two doses of Vitamin-A," the BMC release said, adding the second dose is given after 24 hours.
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Presently, measles patients are admitted in eight city hospitals: Kasturba Hospital, Shivaji Nagar Maternity Home, Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rajawadi Hospital, Shatabdi Hospital, Kurla Bhabha Hospital, Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule hospital, Borivali, and Seven Hills Hospital. Of the 370 beds including oxygen and ICU beds earmarked for measles patients in these hospitals, 113 beds are occupied, according to the BMC.
About measles
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that causes rashes all over the body and is most common among children. It can turn fatal and is the leading cause of child deaths globally.
In the southeast Asian region, so far only five countries have successfully eliminated the disease. This incudes Sri Lanka, Maldives, Korea, Bhutan and Timor-Leste. The World Health Organisation had set a regional target to eliminate measles-rubella by the year 2020.
In India, vaccine for measles has been included under the Universal Immunisation Programme and is administered in the form of measles-rubella (MR), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) combination.
(With inputs from PTI)
