'India must build on polio drive experience to tackle measles'

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) today emphasised that India should build on its polio eradication campaign experience to ensure more children get vaccinated against measles.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion of Measles Immunisation Day today, IMA National President Dr A Marthanda Pillai and Secretary General Dr KK Aggarwal said, "India should build on its polio eradication campaign experience to said ensure more children get vaccinated against measles."
"In a single polio vaccine strategy 2.3 million vaccinators should go door-to-door, visiting 191 million homes to vaccinate 172 million children a year," they said in a joint statement.
March 31 is observed as Indian Medical Association's Measles Immunisation Day.

"Measles is still one of the leading causes of death in young children. A highly contagious disease, measles spreads like wildfire in communities where children are unvaccinated. Since the virus reduces immunity, children who have had measles - especially those who are undernourished - may die of pneumonia, diarrhea and encephalitis later on.
"More than one third of all measles deaths worldwide (around 56,000 in 2011) are among children in India. Awareness needs to be created about the need and safety of measles vaccination. 4 per cent of the under five mortality in India is due to measles," said Dr Anupam Sachdeva, Chairman, Pediatrics, Director, Pediatric Hematology Oncology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Every year around 3 million cases of measles are seen and about 900,000 children die because of measles around the world. In India everyday, 500 children die because of measles.
"All unvaccinated newborns are at danger from measles. Usually children become susceptible to measles around the age of nine months, probably because they are protected up to this period by the antibodies against measles, received from their mothers," said Dr Ajay Gambhir, Head Neonatology and Pediatrics, Saroj Hospital and Heart Institute.