Centre recommends extra dose of measles in Haryana, Gujarat

New Delhi, November 24

The Union Ministry of Health on Thursday asked the governments of Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala and Maharashtra to consider administering one additional dose of measles and rubella to all children aged between nine months and five years in vulnerable areas.

In a letter to the states, Joint Secretary (Health) P Ashok Babu said that the recent increase in the number of measles cases from certain districts of the six states was a cause for concern. “A meeting of technical experts was convened on Wednesday under the chairpersonship of a member health, Niti Aayog, to review the situation,” he said, asking states that they should consider administering an additional dose in all vulnerable areas where caseload had shown an uptick.

This dose would be over and above the primary vaccination schedule of the first dose which is given at 9 to 12 months and the second dose which is given at 16 to 24 months. The government said one dose of measles and rubella vaccines should be administered to all children aged six months and up to less than nine months in those areas where measles cases in the age group of less than nine months or above 10 pc of the total measles cases.

The state government should identify such areas, the Health Ministry said.

Generally, measles cases witness a surge from November to March every year. In view of this, the Centre asked states to strengthen active fever and rash surveillance mechanisms for early case identification.

Headcount of all children aged six months to five years must be undertaken in vulnerable areas to facilitate full measles rubella vaccine coverage in an accelerated manner, the government said.