Measles, a childhood disease that was thought to be wiped out by 2000, is making a comeback worldwide. The number of reported Measles cases have gone up by 30 per cent in one year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The reason for the return of the virus is simple yet shocking. The virus was contained due to widespread vaccination.?
AFP
Even though measles is easily preventable through two doses of a vaccine, we need about 95 per cent coverage to stop outbreaks from happening.
In the past few years globally, health workers have failed to even administer the vaccination to 85 per cent of the children, giving an opportunity for the virus to resurface.
BCCL
The situation in India, which has set a target to eliminate measles and control rubella/congenital rubella syndrome by 2020, is no different.?
Though the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has initiated the measles-rubella vaccination campaign in the age group of 9 months to 15 years in a phased manner across the country, still it has not been able to achieve the targets, at times by a large margin.
BCCL
This is blamed on an atmosphere of suspicion and panic created among the general public by some religious groups and naturopaths about the supposed side effects of the vaccination on the children.
The frenzy had become so out of control in Kerala last year, where health volunteers administering the MR vaccine had come under physical attacks.
BCCL
In Malappuram, where the most number of measles cases were reported in the state, the vaccination awareness campaign was hijacked by some vested interest groups using everything from local community groups to religion and social media.??
Social media including WhatsApp and Facebook timelines were flooded with so-called 'scientific facts' on why vaccinations and medicines are ineffective and even dangerous.? ?
Many uneducated users are their easy prey, as they take all that is seen on WhatsApp for gospel truth.
Malappuram, being a Muslim majority district, the anti-vaccination propaganda has been hijacked by some fundamentalist groups which have convinced the community that MR Vaccine is an American-Israeli conspiracy to make Muslims sterile. A lot of people who have fallen victim to this too.
BCCL
They also spread a canard that vaccines affect the fertility of children when they grow up and most of them carry a pork-based gelatin making it haraam for Muslims.
Not just that, a number of Muslim management schools across Malappuram have also barred medical staff from providing vaccines to their students, making the situation even worse.
?The situation is no different in other states too...?
Maharashtra which in 2016 accounted for 8, 000-10, 000 measles deaths out of the total 49,000 deaths in the country has kickstarted a six-week long MR vaccination campaign in the state.
According to officials, over 13.20 crore children have been administered the vaccine so far in the state and only 650 of them had reported side-effects which include a headache, nausea and vomiting. The officials who say that the vaccination itself has no side effects on children say these symptoms were seen on children who were not properly fed.
BCCL
¡°Taking any shot on empty stomach may cause minor dizziness, headache or nausea. The children just required an adrenalin to settle. The MR vaccine is completely safe,¡± a doctor said.
In UP too, the Yogi Adityanath government has roped in influential leaders from across various religious communities to address their followers and make them understand the importance of getting the children up to the age of 15 vaccinated against the virus.