According to District Medical Officer Dr. K Renuka, 90 percent of those infected never received a single dose of the vaccine.
the district public relation department has revealed that 1,62,749 children up to five years of age in the district have not taken the MR vaccine. (Creative Commons)
As many as 464 cases of measles cases have been reported from Kerala’s Malappuram district’s 85 local bodies.
According to District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr K Renuka, 90 percent of those infected had not received even a single dose of the measles vaccine.
The remaining nine percent received only the first dose, the DMO said, adding that one percent of those who received both doses became ill, but recovered quickly.
Amid rising measles cases among children in Malappuram, government officials revealed that over 1.60 lakh children up to five years of age in the northern district have not taken MR (measles-rubella) vaccine, risking their lives.
In a statement, the district public relation department revealed that 1,62,749 children up to five years of age in the district have not received the MR vaccine.
“Out of this, 69,089 children are to take the first dose MR vaccine and 93,660 children are to take the second dose vaccine,” the statement said.
It added that vaccination activities will be intensified in the district. “The MR vaccination rate of children up to five years of age in the district is 80.84 percent. The target is to reach 95 percent,” the statement read.
The prevailing situation in the district has prompted District Collector VR Premkumar to issue a stern warning against those spreading false messages and indulging in a misinformation campaign against the vaccine.
“Such messages are spread without any scientific basis. The district collector also informed the district police chief to take action against such persons who are spreading misinformation on social media,” the statement said.
As the situation continued to remain alarming, the authorities sought the help of religious leaders to find a way to prevent the spread of the highly contagious, serious viral disease.
A meeting of leaders of various religious organisations convened by the district collector has decided to launch an awareness campaign on the importance of vaccination to check the spread of the killer disease.
The religious leaders have offered all cooperation to create awareness about the disease among people visiting places of worship and religious institutions including madrassas.
“Religious leaders have offered their support to educate people through social media platforms. The district collector informed them that the government’s effort is to prevent deaths due to the disease and only through vaccination can the infection and spread of the disease be prevented,” the statement said.
He also appealed to religious leaders to encourage families and individuals to get vaccinated.
“Vaccination activities have been intensified in the district. By inoculating 10,000 children every day, within two weeks the vaccination rate in the district will increase from 80.84 percent to 95 percent,” the statement said.
Last month, the Union Health Ministry had asked states to consider administering an additional dose of measles and rubella vaccines to all children aged nine months to five years in vulnerable areas.
The meeting held in the collector’s chamber was attended by representatives of various religious organisations such as Salim Edkara (SYS), PKA Latif Faizi (Samastha), Abdurrahman M Valiyangadi (Jamaat-e-Islami) and senior officials of various departments.
The authorities have also assured that treatment will be provided to those infected.
Masks have been made mandatory in schools and anganwadis to prevent the spread of measles, it said.
The district collector said if fever or other symptoms of illness are noticed, healthcare workers should be notified.
A virus infection that mainly affects young children, measles is mostly seen among those in the age group between six months and three years. However, the disease affects teenagers and adults as well.
The Centre had recently sent high-level teams to Malappuram, Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat) to assess and manage the increase in the number of measles cases among children in these areas.
Even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available, in 2018, there were more than 1,40,000 measles deaths globally, mostly among children under the age of five, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
Vaccination resulted in a 73 percent drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2018 worldwide.
In 2018, about 86 percent of the world’s children received one dose of the measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services up from 72 percent in 2000.
During 2000-2018, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 23.2 million deaths making the measles vaccine one of the best buys in public health, WHO said.
(With PTI inputs)
Apr 26, 2024
Apr 26, 2024
Apr 25, 2024
Apr 25, 2024
Apr 25, 2024
Apr 25, 2024
