Lack of vaccination, poor living conditions to blame, say experts

Mumbai: Even as the COVID-19 cases are going down steadily in Mumbai, it is struggling to control the outbreak of measles among children as eight deaths and 184 confirmed cases have been so far been reported in the city, as per civic officials.

Poor living conditions, big family sizes, lack of proper health services, sanitation facilities and nutrition, poor immunity, missed vaccine doses and reluctance for the inoculation are some of the major reasons for the outbreak of the disease in the city, they told.

Mumbai has seen a multi-fold rise in the cases of measles this year as against 25 cases recorded in 2020 and nine last year, as per civic data.

The metropolis has witnessed the outbreak when the government has targeted to eradicate it by 2023 end.

Earlier, Mumbai had reported three deaths due to measles in 2019, one death each was recorded in Nagpur, Chandrapur and Akola in 2020, while Thane and Mumbai had reported one death each in 2021, as per a state bulletin.

If there are five suspected cases of an infection in a week, of which more than two have been confirmed in laboratory testing, then it is termed as an outbreak, Maharashtra health surveillance officer Pradip Awate told.

Measles is one of the leading causes of diarrhoea, pneumonia and lowering of immunity, among other conditions, and leads to children getting stuck in the vicious cycle of various diseases and malnutrition, according to health experts.