BENGALURU: On Monday, the Health Department mandated every suspected measles case to be lab-confirmed by sending serum samples to National Institute of Virology in the city. With this rule, the state becomes first in the country to move to the case-based measles-rubella surveillance. It has also made the disease notifiable. India contributed to 34 per cent of deaths due to measles in the world in 2015.
India has an ongoing outbreak-based surveillance for measles supported by World Health Organisation (WHO) where detailed investigation and lab confirmation is done when five or more cases are reported from a particular area. Now, every single suspected case will be lab-confirmed in the state. This will help in detecting measles transmission early in a community and prevent outbreaks.
All samples will be tested free of cost at NIV located in the campus of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases. Measles is a highly infectious viral disease, which leads to significant number of child mortality below five years of age. The symptoms include fever with rash, cough, runny nose and redness of eyes.
Under universal immunisation programme, two doses of measles vaccine are provided by the government free of cost at all health centres/PHCs at nine to one year of age and one-and-a-half to two years of age. To stop transmission of measles, at least 95 per cent of children need to be vaccinated with both the doses.
All medical practitioners are now required to notify suspected measles cases. The district surveillance officer will coordinate sample collection and send it to NIV. The results will be sent to the district four days after receiving the sample.