10,416 cases, 40 children's death due to measles since November

New Delhi, December 16

The recent upsurge in measles cases in the country led to the death of 40 children, of which three were in Haryana and the highest, 13, in Maharashtra.

Giving information on the sudden rise in measles cases in November and December this year, the government on Friday told Parliament that 10,416 measles cases and 40 deaths were seen between November 1 and December 12. The upsurge was witnessed in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar said taking note of certain districts and cities witnessing the upsurge, the Centre deployed multi-disciplinary teams comprising of public health specialists, paediatricians and microbiologists to assess the situation and provide technical support to the states.

The Centre asked all vulnerable areas to consider an additional dose of the measles rubella (MR) vaccine for all children aged between nine months and 5 years. This dose is over and above the primary vaccination schedule of the first dose which is given at 9-12 months and the second dose at 16-24 months.