Measles outbreak: The centre has sent teams of experts to some states.
An 8-month-old child was identified as the latest casualty of a measles outbreak in Mumbai, taking the total number of deaths to 12 on Wednesday, as the central government expressed concern at the rising cases and issued an advisory.
Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
Mumbai recorded 13 new cases of measles, taking the tally of infections since the beginning of the year to 233, authorities said.
The 8-month-old boy from neighbouring Bhiwandi died in a Mumbai hospital on Tuesday evening, they said.
The child developed rashes all over his body on November 20 and was admitted to a municipal hospital on Tuesday evening but died within a few hours, a government statement said.
The central government said it was particularly concerned at the rising cases in some districts of Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala and Maharashtra, and advised states on preparedness and response.
Teams of experts were being sent to Ranchi in Jharkhand, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Malappuram in Kerala to probe the outbreak, the health ministry said in a statement.
They will assist the state health authorities in investigating the outbreak and help with ways to control and contain it, it added.
In Mumbai, civic officials screened more than 3.04 lakh households in the last 24 hours as data showed the disease was spreading across wards.
Maharashtra Health Minister Dr Tanaji Sawant on Tuesday held a meeting on the outbreak with state health department officials, municipal officials and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO).
A viral infection that spreads through the air by respiratory droplets, measles is a very contagious disease that can be particularly dangerous for young children and babies. It spreads more quickly than Ebola, flu or COVID-19.
The WHO had warned last year that the world was at greater risk of outbreaks after COVID-19 disrupted shots for millions of infants. Data from the organisation and UNICEF showed cases had jumped 79 per cent in the first two months of this year compared to 2021.
Post a comment