Missed shots during Covid behind surge in measles cases

NEW DELHI: Roughly 2.5 million infants who were supposed to be vaccinated for their first doses of the measles immunisation did not receive the shots last year amid a rush for Covid-19 jabs. The missed shots could explain why the country is recording a surge in the disease that is contagious and at times fatal.

According to an estimate by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control released late on Wednesday, India accounts for second highest numbers of missed doses in 2021, with Nigeria recording the most at 3.1 million doses.

In recent weeks, at least four states have reported a sharp surge in measles infections and deaths. In Mumbai, there have been at least 13 fatalities, and 3,695 suspected infections, out of which 252 are confirmed cases. The Union government has rushed teams to four states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Jharkhand and Gujarat.

“There is no doubt that these outbreaks that we are seeing is fallout of the drop in routine immunization due to the pandemic as our energies were diverted towards immunising people against Covid-19.” said Dr NK Mehra, senior immunologist and former head, transplants immunology and immunogenetics department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Measles has a basic reproduction number, or R-nought (R0), of 12 to 18 by most estimates, which means one infected person can pass it on to 12 to 18 others, and each of those to a similar number further. Even in healthy children, measles can cause serious illness and can even require hospitalisation. But it can be particularly dangerous for children who are unvaccinated and malnourished. Nearly 1 to 3 of every 1000 children who become infected will die from respiratory or neurological complications. nations against deadly diseases like measles,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.