Eight suspected measles deaths, 503 reported so far

Mumbai: Maharashtra has reported 503 cases of measles so far this year and 8 deaths suspected of being caused by the virus. All of these occurred in Mumbai. The health ministry said on his Thursday, November 17, as Prime Minister Eknassinde asked to confirm the situation and provide information to the authorities. Special attention should be paid to hospitalized patients.

The Burihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a separate bulletin that the metropolis had so far reported eight suspected deaths and 169 confirmed cases from the disease.

Twenty-five new patients with measles have been hospitalized in the city, bringing the total number of hospitalizations to 105. Two patients are receiving oxygen support, but 38 have been discharged, according to preliminary reports.

Measles outbreaks have been reported in 26 locations in Maharashtra, 14 in Mumbai, 7 in Bhiwandi (Tane) and 5 in Malegaon Town (Nashik), according to a state health department bulletin. is.

Prime Minister Shinide confirmed the spread of the infection and instructed the people concerned to give consideration to hospitalized patients.

He called on officers to step up measles surveillance, direct them to vaccinate those left behind, and work to debunk myths and misconceptions about vaccination in the community.

“Eight municipalities in Mumbai are affected by measles, with most outbreaks (five) in District M-East, followed by three in District L (all in northeast Mumbai). Eight patients with suspected measles died, seven from the M-East ward and one from the L ward, of whom 1 received one dose of the measles vaccine. only one, the rest had not been vaccinated,” said a health department bulletin.

State health inspector Pradip Awate said that in a week, when there are five suspected cases of infection, two or more of which are confirmed by laboratory testing, it is called an outbreak. I got

According to the Department of Health, measles is one of the leading causes of diarrhea, pneumonia and weakened immune systems, leading children to fall into a vicious cycle of various illnesses and malnutrition.

The health department is conducting door-to-door measles surveillance, with special immunization sessions being arranged in campaign mode, the bulletin said.

For those who have not been vaccinated against measles, a list is available by district/municipality for children aged 9 months to 5 years. These children are vaccinated not only in regular sessions, but also in special sessions, it said.

Special attention has been directed to sensitive areas, and the state held 2,974 immunization sessions in October and November. Each measles patient will receive two doses of vitamin A, according to the department.

Maharashtra recorded 92 cases in 2021, compared to 193 in 2020.

Meanwhile, a senior BMC official said the number of deaths suspected to be caused by measles rose by one to eight on Thursday. The patient was a 10-month-old girl living in her suburb of Govandi who died on 3 November.

“She had a history of travel to Thane in October. The (BMC’s) death committee will review eight suspected (measles) deaths from fever and rash,” a civil society bulletin said. said.

According to the bulletin, inpatient facilities for measles patients are now available at Bharat Ratna Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivali, Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar and Shatabdi Hospital in Gobandi (all with moderate cases). Castulvar Hospital has a separate isolation ward with his 83 beds and his five ventilators to deal with severe and critical cases.

In Eastern District, which includes areas such as Gobandi, 40 people attended an inspirational conference of religious leaders who agreed to spread awareness about the disease and increase support for vaccinations, according to a bulletin. .

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shinde reviewed the measles outbreak at a meeting at the state secretariat in southern Mumbai and instructed the BMC to enlist the help of religious leaders to spread awareness about vaccination.

In addition to Chief Secretary Manukumar Srivastava and BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, several ministers also attended the meeting.

In the evening, the Prime Minister visited Kasturbah Hospital, a citizen-run hospital in central Mumbai, to assess the situation. During his visit, he interacted with the families of children with measles and hospital staff, the bulletin said.

(PTI)