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A person who was hospitalised with measles has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month. Lubbock city spokesperson Lauren Adams confirmed the death Wednesday. It wasn't clear the age of the patient, who died overnight. Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said Tuesday. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico. Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in an area wher
More than 2.63 crore children across the country received the first dose of measles containing vaccine (MCV) between April 2022 and March 2023, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Mandaviya was responding to a question on whether an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022, as stated in a report by the World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "While the World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes various reports on Immunisation, under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), data regarding Measles Containing Vaccines (MCV) administered free of cost to all eligible children is captured in the Health Management Information System (HMIS). "As per HMIS, a total of 2,63,63,270 children received 1st dose of MCV throughout the country against the estimated target of 2,63,84,580 children in the period between April 2022 to March 2023," Mandaviya said. Listing steps taken by the
Media reports claiming that an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022 are "ill-informed and inaccurate," the Union Ministry of Health Family Welfare said on Saturday. There have been some media reports alleging that an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022, according to a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "These reports are not based on facts and do not reflect the true picture. These reports are based on the estimated number reported under WHO UNICEF Estimates National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) 2022 report which covers the time-period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. "However, as per the HMIS (Health Management Information System) of the Union Ministry of Health, a total of 2,63,63,270 children out of the eligible 2,63,84,580 children received their 1st dose of Measles Containing Vaccine (MCV) in
Measles deaths globally spiked by more than 40 per cent last year and cases rose after vaccination levels dramatically dropped during the pandemic, leading health agencies said on Thursday. The highly infectious disease triggered epidemics in 37 countries last year, versus 22 countries in 2021. It sickened 9 million children and killed 136,00, mostly in poorer countries, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report. The number of measles cases also rose by nearly 20 per cent after immunisation levels dropped to their lowest in 15 years during the pandemic, the agencies said. The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately, not unexpected given the declining vaccination rates we've seen in the past few years, said CDC's John Vertefeuille, said in a statement. Two doses of the measles vaccine are highly protective against the disease. Children in developing countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, .
At least 47 cases of measles have been detected in Madhya Pradesh's Indore in the last one month and 83 per cent of the infected persons had not been vaccinated, an official said on Monday. The administration has received reports of 47 cases of measles in one month, and the affected persons range from a six-month-old baby to a 19-year-old man, district immunisation officer Dr Tarun Gupta told PTI. Of the infected people, only eight had taken the first dose of measles vaccine, while the remaining 39 were unvaccinated, he said. The health department is conducting a survey and vaccination drives in the measles affected areas of the district, he said. "There are still misconceptions about the measles vaccine among the public. We are also roping in politicians and religious leaders to create awareness among people about getting children vaccinated against the disease," the official said. An 11-year-old boy, who contracted measles while undergoing treatment for brain fever in Indore cit
Mumbai on Thursday recorded 23 new measles cases and zero fatality, the civic body said in a release. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation also inoculated 1,162 children against the viral infection on the first day of its Outbreak Response Immunisation drive. The Maharashtra health department has also formed a state-level task force headed by Dr Subhash Salunke to tackle rising measles cases, an official statement said. The tally of measles cases reported in Maharashtra between January 1, 2022 and November 30 stood at 754 and death toll stood at 18. All fatalities this year were from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (12 in Mumbai, three in Bhiwandi city, two in Thane city and one in Vasai-Virar city). Of 754 cases, 323 were from Mumbai, 70 from Malegaon city, 48 from Bhiwandi city and 44 from Thane city.
The World Health Organisation and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say measles immunisation has dropped significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began, resulting in a record high of nearly 40 million children missing a vaccine dose last year. In a report issued Wednesday, the WHO and the CDC said millions of children were now susceptible to measles, among the world's most contagious diseases. In 2021, officials said there were about 9 million measles infections and 128,000 deaths worldwide. The WHO and CDC said continued drops in vaccination, weak disease surveillance and delayed response plans due to COVID-19, in addition to ongoing outbreaks in more than 20 countries, mean that measles is an imminent threat in every region of the world. Scientists estimate that at least 95% of a population needs to be immunised to protect against epidemics; the WHO and the CDC reported that only about 81% of children receive their first dose of measles vaccine while 71% get