Measles Outbreak: How to Protect Your Children? 10 Tips

Measles Outbreak An outbreak of measles among children in India raises concerns among health authorities Here’s how to protect your baby from this disease. Three years after being engulfed by the Covid-19 pandemic, India continues to face new health challenges.

Currently, several states in the country have been affected by the Measles Outbreak, with Mumbai being the worst-hit city with 303 cases till date. Cases of this highly contagious disease, which mostly affects children, are on the rise in Maharashtra and several have died in Mumbai.

Kerala is also witnessing an Measles Outbreak with 160 cases of the disease reported so far. The government is urging parents to watch for signs and symptoms of the disease and ensure their children are vaccinated against Measles Outbreak. Amidst the outbreak, a special inoculation drive is also being taken up to control the outbreak.

 

What is measles?

• Measles is an infectious disease caused by a virus of the paramyxovirus family that is spread through the air or by direct contact. Dr Prashant Urs, senior consultant neonatologist and paediatrician, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Karnataka, told Healthshots, “Measles virus spreads when an infected person sneezes or coughs. A deeply contagious illness can survive up to 2 hours in the air.
• According to the World Health Organization, measles infects the respiratory system, which then spreads throughout the body. Before measles vaccination was introduced in 1963, massive outbreaks occurred that claimed about 2.6 million lives a year. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, about 2.7 million children in India are infected with measles every year.

Symptoms of measles

• Anyone exposed to measles will show symptoms 7-14 days after exposure, experts claim.
  A rash is one of the most common symptoms of measles seen in people after exposure. People with measles can spread the illness from 4 days before the rash appears to 4 days after, he added. People with measles should be closely monitored for various complications such as ear disease, croup, diarrhea, pneumonia, and encephalitis.
• Isolation is recommended for people with measles as the disease can be spread through coughing and sneezing. Standard airborne infection precautions should be instituted, according to experts.

How is Measles Outbreak?

• The measles virus is easily spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs and someone nearby inhales infected droplets. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with fluids from the nose or mouth of an infected person. It is one of the most infectious specialists known to man.
• Most recent outbreaks in the United States have started with an unvaccinated person from the United States traveling to another country with a measles outbreak and bringing it back to the United States. Measles is highly contagious and the virus can survive for up to two hours on surfaces touched by infected patients or in the air where they cough or sneeze. As a result, anyone in airports or crowded places is likely to be exposed to measles.
• Vaccination is the key to controlling measles outbreaks
• The backbone of protection against measles is vaccination, said Dr. As the current outbreak is a gap in routine immunization during Covid, it has become very important to vaccinate your children against the disease.
• If children are not vaccinated against measles, get them vaccinated immediately, experts advise. The best protection against the disease is the MMR vaccination, which is effective against Measles Outbreak, mumps and rubella.

MMR vaccine dose to protect your child against measles

• Dr says that Indian Academy of Paediatrics recommends 3 doses of MMR vaccine for different age groups.
• The first dose of MMR vaccine should be given at 9 months of age.
• The second vaccine should be given at 15 months of age.
• The third dose should be given at 4-6 years.
• If children miss vaccinations, vaccinate them immediately to avoid measles and its complications.

Is the measles vaccine safe?

• Yes too. Like any medicine, a vaccine can cause side effects, but these are usually mild, such as pain or swelling at the injection site and a fever that lasts a day or two. The risk of measles vaccine causing serious harm is extremely low. Measles vaccination is much safer than measles infection.

How long does the measles vaccine protect?

• Measles antibodies are very powerful in protecting against measles. However, no vaccine is 100% protective so rarely, people who are vaccinated can get measles. Some people may also be at risk of getting measles if they receive only 1 dose of measles vaccine, which was the recommendation until 1989 when it changed to 2 doses. A second dose of measles vaccine increases protection to more than 95%.

not sure if I got the measles vaccine. Do I need a booster?

• If you don’t know if you or your children are fully vaccinated against measles, talk to your primary care physician to check if someone in your family should be vaccinated. There is no risk of getting the measles vaccine if you have been vaccinated before. Measles is a live vaccine, so children who have immune problems or are taking medications that suppress the immune system should not receive the measles vaccine. Your pediatrician is the best source of vaccination advice.
• Measles was once a common infection of young people and almost a normal part of growing up. While most children recover from measles without problems, many others do not. In some children, the infection can lead to pneumonia and, in some cases, encephalitis (infection of the brain) and even death. 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 people infected with measles will die. Before the measles vaccine was available, an average of 450 people died from measles each year; Most of them were healthy children.
• Thanks to the success of the measles vaccine, we are now able to protect children from Measles Outbreak. However, in recent years some parents have refused or delayed vaccinating their children due to fear or misinformation about the safety of the measles vaccine and Measles Outbreak. This means more unvaccinated children, youth and adults in our networks.

At this moment, Measles Outbreak in every district of the world