Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Kurla, the new hotbed of measles outbreak
MUMBAI: Three months after the measles outbreak in the city, L Ward (Kurla) surpassed M-East (Govandi) to have the highest number of outbreaks and cases, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) report. The ward has 14 outbreaks and 73 cases as compared to M-East – which has five outbreaks and fifteen cases.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, former director of the Directorate of Health Services for Maharashtra who heads the task force said they are assisting BMC in microplanning in the ward. “While the figures of routine immunisation by the civic corporation are satisfactory, the number of children who have missed the doses is not. We have asked for more
Age: 9 months to 5 years
Age: 6 months and 9 months intense micro-planning for which we are assisting the health officer,” he added.
Mumbai has seen one measles death this year and 17 since October 2022. The city has so far seen 601 laboratory-confirmed measles cases. “There will be sporadic cases but we have to stop the number of outbreaks by increasing the vaccination coverage,” said Dr Salunkhe.
Measles, which is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family, is a highly contagious respiratory disease. An outbreak is a cluster of at least five cases from the same area, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We have asked the corporation to improve the involvement of private practitioners to stop the measles outbreak and increase the vaccination coverage in the wards. Earlier, too they were involved but we have seen some gaps,” said Dr Salunkhe.
The state task force, which has been reviewing the situation daily along with the state health minister, has asked for microplanning involving the Indian Academy of Paediatricians and local leaders and emphasised improving the vaccination coverage. Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer of BMC said, they are concentrating on intensifying the monitoring system on vaccination coverage. “Our vaccination coverage has improved in the last two months and we intend to keep the momentum till March. We will achieve 95% vaccination coverage by March,” she said.
Meanwhile, since its start on December 1, the outbreak response immunisation (ORI) undertaken by the civic body immunised 62.83% (1,44,604) of the eligible children between 9 months to 5 years of age and 67.84% (3,394) of eligible children between 6 months and 9 months.
The Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday said the arguments and submissions made by both sides regarding the condition of the 52nd Dai after suffering the stroke in June 2011 would have no bearing on deciding the Syedna succession case, as the HC was to decide on whether a valid nass was conferred either on the original plaintiff or the defendant.
The court held that though the doctrine states that a nass once conferred could not be revoked and conferral of nass could be done with or without witnesses, as the Dai was infallible and did acts based on the inspiration from the secluded Imam and the guidance of Allah, it was possible that he had the ability to tweak the doctrine to ensure that the faith was safeguarded.
The comments were prompted after the defendant Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s counsel concluded arguments to prove that though the 52nd Dai had become infirm due to the effects of the June 2011 stroke, he was having the capacity to discharge his duty and had done so.
This the defendant said disproved the claim of the original plaintiff Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin and later his son Syedna Taher Fakhruddin that the leader was so incapacitated after the stroke that he could not have conferred the nass on the defendant on June 4 at the Cromwell hospital in London and on June 20, 2011 at Raudat Tahera in Mumbai. Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas for Syedna Saifuddin while continuing to enumerate the events after June 4, 2011 to show that the 52nd Dai was able to comprehend what was happening around him and was actively discharging his duties as the leader of the community informed the single judge bench of justice, Gautam Patel, about the events which took place between June 2011 till the passing away of the leader in January 2014.
Dwarkadas referred to four events namely a baithak (meeting of the Dai with the senior members of the community) in August 2011, an Urs (death anniversary commemoration) majlis in June 2012, a banquet in Saifee Mahal in June 2012, and a baithak in January 2014 just 15 days before the passing away of the 52nd Dai to show that the leader was actively conducting the affairs of the community. Dwarkadas also referred to instances of the original plaintiff and his family members seeking ‘raza’ of the 52nd Dai in the 2011 to 2014 period to prove that their acts itself showed that the leader was discharging his duty.
While referring to Dai’s powers, justice Patel said that as Dai was infallible and pure it was possible that he could tweak some doctrines for the larger benefit of the community, however, he assumed it was only restricted to certain doctrines and not all, hence the next issue of revocability of nass would have a bearing on the case which will be addressed by both sides from January 30.