Measles Disease

• According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11 lakh children in India missed their first dose of measles vaccine in 2022 putting India among 10 countries with the highest number of children who did not receive the first shot.

Background

• Measles, a highly contagious viral disease, spreads through respiratory droplets transmitted by the breath, sneeze or cough of an infected person. 
• It may result in serious illness or even death. Some 37 countries saw significant or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2022, compared to 22 nations in 2021.

Major Highlights of Report

• Globally, immunisation against measles dropped to lowest levels since 2008 during the pandemic, leading to an 18% rise in cases and 43% increase in deaths in 2022.
• India is also among the 37 countries that witnessed large or disruptive outbreaks, reporting 40,967 measles cases in 2022.
• According to the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, Measles elimination is under threat, as the disease has resurged in numerous countries that achieved or were close to achieving the goal of elimination.

India’s Effort to eradicate Measles

• To eradicate measles and rubella by 2023, India plans to vaccinate 95 per cent of the population with two doses of the measles and rubella vaccine under the Intensified Mission Indradhanush, a flagship routine immunisation campaign of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Exam Oriented Facts

Mission Indradhanush (MI)

• Launched : 2015
• Provision:  Vaccination against 12 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) i.e. diphtheria, Whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, meningitis and pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae type B infections, Japanese encephalitis (JE), rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and measles-rubella (MR).

World Health Organization (WHO)

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded: 7 April 1948
• Director-General : Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
• Measles Disease
• Caused by: virus (ribonucleic acid virus of the genus Morbillivirus)
• Infects: respiratory tract