Context:
India has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Measles and Rubella Champion’ Award.
More on news
- The award was given by the Measles and Rubella Partnership at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington D.C.
- The Award serves as a symbol of India’s tireless and dedicated efforts in implementing effective strategies to combat measles and rubella, showcasing the country’s commitment to public health.
Measles and Rubella Partnership
• The Measles & Rubella Partnership (M&RP) is led by
- The American Red Cross
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Gavi the Vaccine Alliance
- The United Nations Foundation
- U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
- UNICEF
- The World Health Organization
• It aims to achieve a world without measles and rubella by supporting countries to raise coverage of measles, rubella and other vaccines.
Measles
- Measles is one of the most contagious diseases ever known and is an important cause of death and disability among young children worldwide.
- The measles virus is a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus.
- It is a genome of single stranded, negative sense RNA, and is closely related to the rinderpest and canine distemper viruses.
Signs and Symptoms:
- Early flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes) lasting 4-7 days.
- Distinctive red rash appears 7-18 days after exposure, starting on the face and spreading
Complications:
- like pneumonia, encephalitis (brain swelling), and death.
- Children under 5 and adults over 30 are most at risk.
Transmission:
- Spreads through coughing, sneezing, or sharing contaminated objects.
Prevention:
- Two doses of the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) are recommended for children.
Treatment:
- There is no specific treatment for measles, but supportive care can help manage symptoms and prevent complications.
Rubella (German Measles)
- It was first described as distinct disease in German literature in 1814 (hence it is known as “German measles”)
- Rubella virus is the sole member of the genus Rubivirus, in the family Matonaviridae. It is an enveloped virus with a single-stranded RNA of positive polarity and has a single antigenic type.
- The first rubella vaccines were licensed in 1969. In 1971, a combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was licensed for use in the United States.
• It is usually mild but dangerous for pregnant women.
- Infection in early pregnancy can cause Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) in babies.
- CRS leads to birth defects like heart problems, deafness, and blindness.
India’s Position on Measles and Rubella
- Measles and Rubella are vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and MR Vaccine is part of India’s Universal Immunization Programme since 2017.
- These efforts have resulted in 50 districts consistently not witnessing any measles case while 226 districts have not reported rubella cases over past 12 months.