India gets new Measles Rubella vaccine

India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) on Sunday received a new addition —the Measles Rubella (MR) vaccination. The  vaccine will replace the current two doses of measles vaccines given at 9-12 months and 16-24 months of age, and will offer dual protection, against measles and rubella.

The first phase of Measles Rubella (MR)  vaccination campaign will begin in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Lakshadweep, covering nearly 3.6 crore target children.  “This  campaign will be taken up in a mission mode and has been rolled out in  partnership with States, NGOs and development partners such as WHO,  UNICEF, Gates Foundation, Lions Club, IPA, IMA. As part of a nationwide  campaign, the health ministry will reach out to and cover 41 crore children, the largest ever in any campaign,” Faggan Singh Kulaste,  Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said.

“Children in the age group of 9 months to 15 years will be given a single shot of MR  vaccination irrespective of their previous measles/rubella vaccination status or measles/rubella disease status,” he said. The vaccine will be  provided free of cost across the States from session sites at schools  and health facilities and outreach session sites.

“The vaccine  protects against two deadly diseases—measles and rubella, only  preventable through vaccination. There is no specific treatment for the diseases.  MR vaccination is an essential investment by the government in children’s lives and will ensure that as future healthy citizens they contribute to the development of the country,” said Dr Yaron Wolman,  Chief of Health, UNICEF India.

After the completion of the campaign,  MR vaccine will be introduced in routine immunization and will replace measles vaccine, given at 9-12 months and 16-24 months of age of child.  Measles is a deadly disease and one of the important causes of death in children. It is highly contagious and spreads through coughing and  sneezing by an infected person. Measles can make a child vulnerable to  life threatening complications such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and brain  infection. Globally, in 2015, measles killed an estimated 1,34,200  children—mostly under the age of 5 years. In India, it killed an estimated 49,200  children.

Rubella is generally a mild infection, but has serious  consequences if the infection occurs in pregnant women, causing congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which is a cause of public health concern. CRS is characterised by congenital anomalies in the foetus and newborns  affecting the eyes (glaucoma, cataract), ears (hearing loss), brain  (microcephaly, mental retardation) and heart defects, causing a huge  socio-economic burden on the families in particular and society in general.

“The measles disease burden was brought down by introduction  of second dose of measles vaccine in 2010. For this introduction,  supplementary immunization Activity (SIA) was conducted in 14 states  (2010-13) with less than equal to 80 per cent measles coverage. The  remaining states introduced measles second dose directly in routine  immunization. However, those again need to be supplemented, and in order  to further reduce the burden, the country is going to carry out the MR  campaign,” said Dr Pradeep Haldar. Deputy Commissioner (Immunization),  Union Health Ministry.