A total of 91 suspected cases of measles were detected in parts of Mehsana district in Gujarat during a surveillance carried out in the last one month, a health department official said on Sunday. Samples of the suspected cases from Molipur village in Vadnagar taluka and part of Kadi town in the district have been sent to a laboratory in Ahmedabad for further testing and a report of the same is awaited, Epidemic Medical Officer of Mehsana district Vinod Patel said.
Attributing resistance to vaccination in the region as a reason behind the likely upsurge in suspected measles cases in the region, Patel said that treatment and preventive measures were being taken. "Between November and December, 91 suspected cases of measles were found in Molipur and Kadi. We have carried out a vaccination exercise and distributed vitamin A tablets as treatment and preventive measures," Patel told PTI.
He said that additional surveillance was carried out after some suspected cases emerged during the routine surveillance. "We carried out an active search in the areas where five suspected cases were detected. Vaccination helps prevent the cases. In this region, however, resistance to vaccines is high. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination against measles slowed down further," he said.
In the affected village, the rate of vaccination remains as low as 60-70 per cent. The authorities are trying to create awareness among locals regarding the benefit of vaccination, Patel said. There has been an uptick of measles cases from certain districts and cities of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Kerala, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in the Lok Sabha on Friday this week.
The Union Health Ministry has deployed multi-disciplinary teams comprising public health specialists, paediatricians and microbiologists to assess the situation and provide technical support to the states, she said.
