Mumbai: An 8-month-old child, on Wednesday, died due to measles in Mumbai, bringing the total number of deaths to 12.
At a meeting in the state secretariat in south Mumbai on Tuesday, Maharashtra Health Minister Dr Tanaji Sawant reviewed the situation caused by the outbreak. The meeting was attended by state health department officials, BMC officials, and World Health Organization representatives Dr Meeta Vashi and Dr Arun Gaikwad.
Cases increase all over the nation
Apart from Mumbai, Ranchi in Jharkhand, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and Malappuram in Kerala have all reported an increase in measles cases among children, prompting the central government to dispatch expert teams.
The health ministry said in an official statement that the teams will look into the rising trend of measles cases.
According to the government, they will assist state health authorities in investigating the outbreak and determining how to control and contain it.
High level multi-disciplinary committees by government
The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said that it has decided to depute three high-level multi-disciplinary 3-member teams to Ranchi, Ahmedabad, and Malappuram (Kerala) to take stock of the upsurge in cases of measles.
The teams will assist the state health authorities in instituting public health measures and facilitate operationalisation of requisite control and containment measures, said the ministry.
The Central team to Ranchi comprises of experts drawn from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, and the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RMLH), New Delhi. Experts from PHO, Mumbai, the Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital (KSCH), New Delhi and the Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Ahmedabad will comprise the Central team to Ahmedabad and the team to Malappuram will consist of experts from the ministry’s regional office, Thiruvananthapuram, the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, and the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), New Delhi.
Regional Directors, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Kerala will coordinate
Senior Regional Directors, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Kerala will coordinate with the respective teams regarding their visits. The teams will also undertake field visits to investigate the outbreak and assist the state Health Departments in terms of public health measures, management guidelines and protocols to manage the increasing cases of measles being reported in the three cities.
The teams will also coordinate with the respective states for ensuring active case search in the area and with VRDLs for testing of the identified cases.