Measles

• 05 Oct 2023

Source: IE

Why in News?

Recently, there has been a significant spike in measles cases and fatalities in Delhi, attributed to under-reporting of cases during the Covid-19 lockdowns in the previous years.

• The Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the focus and resources were primarily directed towards managing the pandemic, leading to weakened surveillance for measles and other diseases, contributing to measles cases, along with challenges related to vaccine acceptance, even among some affluent segments of society.

What is Measles?

• About:
  • Measles virus is an enveloped, ribonucleic acid virus of the genus Morbillivirus.
  • Measles is highly contagious, and an infected person will often transmit the virus to over 90% of unprotected close contacts.
  • The virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body. Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.
  • Measles can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine and has been officially eliminated in many countries with advanced healthcare systems.
• Treatment:
  • No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles virus.
  • Severe complications from measles can be avoided through medical care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake, and treatment of dehydration.
• Prevention:
  • Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths.
• Cases of Measles in India:
  • Measles cases dropped by 62% between 2017 and 2021, from 10.4 to 4 cases per million population.

What are the Initiatives to Tackle Measles?

• The Measles & Rubella Initiative:
  • Launched in 2001, the Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&R Initiative) is a global partnership led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF and WHO.
  • The Initiative is committed to ensuring that no child dies from measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome. We help countries to plan, fund and measure efforts to stop measles and rubella for good.
• Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccination:
  • It targets around 41 crore children across India, covering all children aged between 9 months and less than 15 years and will be given a single shot of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination irrespective of their previous measles/rubella vaccination status or measles/rubella disease status.
• Other Initiatives include Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. Adenoviruses have single-stranded DNA genomes whereas retroviruses have double-stranded DNA genomes.
2. Common cold is sometimes caused by an adenovirus whereas AIDS is caused by a retrovirus.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)