12 suspected measles cases noticed in 2 city wards

Mumbai: Much to the embarrassment of the Maharashtra government which completed the state-wide measles-rubella vaccination campaign on March 31, around 12 suspected cases of measles have been found in children in two BMC wards in the city. Last month too, The Asian Age reported 40 fresh cases of measles in central Mumbai, which the BMC is still investigating.

A perplexed civic body claimed that many of the affected children had been vaccinated in the state-wide measles-rubella vaccination campaign which ended on March 31. Civic health volunteers detected the outbreak in the F south ward which covers Parel, Sewri and Naigaum, and the P north ward which includes Malad, during routine surveillance over the past couple of weeks.

Civic officials said that the F south ward where 11 cases have been detected is considered “high risk” due to dense slum pockets and heightened refusal to vaccination.

Intriguingly though, at least 10 of the children who developed fever and rashes – typical symptoms of measles – had received at least one dose of the measles-rubella vaccine. In Malad however, many of the children had not been vaccinated when the drive was carried out from November 2018 to March 2019.

BMC executive health officer Dr Padmaja Keskar said, “All the suspected measles cases have to be confirmed with blood tests, but we are facing some resistance from the F south ward in taking samples from children. Most of the affected children seem to have taken the vaccine, except one. Some kids had also taken the measles dose prior to the campaign. In Malad, the cases were scattered and didn't come from one particular area.”

The detection of more than five measles cases within a close geographical area is classified as an “outbreak”. This year, close to 60 children, are suspected to have contracted the viral infection that the Union government plans to eradicate by 2020.

During the campaign, the BMC could vaccinate 90 per cent of the targeted 25 lakh children from the city. And that's what could hold the key to why even the vaccinated children have got the viral infection, according to experts.