The World Health Organisation’s South-East Asian Region (WHO SEAR) recently made a significant announcement: both the Maldives and Sri Lanka have eradicated measles and rubella. This achievement comes ahead of the 2023 deadline which was previously set by WHO SEAR member countries in September 2019.
Elimination of Measles and Rubella: The Criteria
A country is considered to have eliminated measles and rubella when no evidence can be found of endemic transmission of the viruses for over three years, assuming that an efficient surveillance system is in place. This remarkable milestone has been reached by the Maldives, which reported its last endemic case of measles in 2009 and rubella in October 2015, and Sri Lanka, which saw its last endemic case of measles in May 2016 and rubella in March 2017.
The Measures Taken
All countries in the WHO SEAR introduced two doses of measles-containing vaccine and at least one dose of rubella-containing vaccine in their routine immunization program. This effort began in 2017, and since then, nearly 500 million additional children have been vaccinated with measles and rubella-containing vaccines. To ensure that these diseases are effectively tracked and controlled, surveillance for measles and rubella has been further strengthened.
Challenges Arising from the Covid-19 Pandemic
The announcement of this success comes during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which has enforced the importance of collective efforts. More than half of all global countries reported moderate-to-severe interruptions or complete cessation of vaccination services between March and April. Although the pandemic impacts both immunization coverage and surveillance regionally, coordinated efforts among SEAR countries have allowed immunization and surveillance activities to resume.
About Measles and Rubella
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that often results in death for young children all over the world. It poses a particular risk to children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as it often affects malnourished children and those with compromised immunity. Measles may lead to severe complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection, and pneumonia.
Also known as German Measles, Rubella is generally a mild viral infection that mostly affects children and young adults. It is highly dangerous for pregnant women as it may cause fetal death or lead to congenital defects known as Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS), which results in irreversible birth defects.
Global Measures against Measles and Rubella
The Measles and Rubella Initiative is a global program with a target to eradicate these diseases. Vaccines are provided in the form of measles-rubella (MR), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) combinations.
India’s Struggle with Measles and Rubella
Despite the availability of successful vaccines since the 1960s, India continues to grapple with measles and rubella. These diseases remain major public health concerns, with over 1.3 million children contracting measles each year and around 49,000 children dying from the infection. This accounts for almost 36% of the global figures. Rubella also puts pregnant women at risk, causing fetal death or congenital defects and resulting in birth defects in nearly 40,000 children each year in India.
Indian Government Initiatives
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Measles-Rubella Vaccination program in 2017. This campaign targets approximately 410 million children across the country and is the largest of its kind. All children aged between 9 months and less than 15 years receive a single shot of the MR vaccine, regardless of their previous vaccination or disease status. These vaccines are provided free-of-cost across all states. Other initiatives include the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), Mission Indradhanush, and Intensified Mission Indradhanush.
Source: BL