10-month-old is latest suspected measles death in city, toll touches 9

Mumbai: A 10-month-old girl from Govandi, who was undergoing treatment for measles at Kasturba Hospital, died on November 3

Mumbai: A 10-month-old girl from Govandi, who was undergoing treatment for measles at Kasturba Hospital, died on November 3. Her death was added to the suspected measles deaths only on Friday, taking the number of fatalities to nine.

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The child had started showing symptoms of measles when her parents had taken her to Thane on November 1. They took her to a private hospital, after which the girl was referred to another private hospital in Chembur.

“The next day, the child started feeling breathless, but the hospital was not equipped with a ventilator bed. Her parents had decided to shift her to yet another private hospital nearby. However, the girl died during the transfer process,” a BMC official said.

As of Friday, a total of 176 confirmed measles cases have been recorded in the city. The BMC is yet to ascertain whether any of the nine deaths were due to measles. The death review committee of the civic body that is assessing the cases has not reached any conclusion in this regard yet.

Since November 7, about 137 patients with measles have been hospitalised and of them, 32 were admitted on Friday. Ninety one patients are currently undergoing treatment at the civic-run Kasturba Hospital, of them, seven are on oxygen support and two on ventilators.

Meanwhile, as part of the intensified vaccination drive since October 1, over 13,000 children have been vaccinated so far.