A total of 91 suspected cases of measles were discovered in parts of Gujarat’s Mehsana district over last month, health department official said on Sunday.
Samples from suspected cases in Molipur village in Vadnagar taluka and part of Kadi town in the district have been sent to a laboratory in Ahmedabad for further testing and a report is awaited, said Vinod Patel, Epidemic Medical Officer of Mehsana district. Patel said that treatment and preventive measures were being taken after attributing resistance to vaccination in the region as a reason behind the likely upsurge in suspected measles cases in the region. “Between November and December, 91 suspected cases of measles were found in Molipur and Kadi. We have carried out a vaccination exercise and distributed vitamin A tablets as treatment and preventive measures,” said Patel.
He said that additional surveillance was carried out after some suspected cases emerged during the routine surveillance. “We carried out an active search in the areas where five suspected cases were detected. Vaccination helps prevent the cases. In this region, however, resistance to vaccines is high. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination against measles slowed down further,” he said. In the affected village, the rate of vaccination remains as low as 60-70 per cent. The authorities are trying to create awareness among locals regarding the benefit of vaccination, Patel said.
Measles cases have increased in certain districts and cities in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Kerala, said Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar in the Lok Sabha on Friday. According to her, the Union Health Ministry has dispatched multi-disciplinary teams comprised of public health specialists, paediatricians and microbiologists to assess the situation and provide technical assistance to the states.