1-year-old dies of suspected measles; toll 14

The cause of the death was put down as acute respiratory failure with the presence of measles and bronchopneumonia. Her heart disease was also mentioned as a probable factor that made her more susceptible to secondary infections.

Mumbai: A one-year-old girl from Andheri became the fourteenth suspected measles victim in the city. The child, with a history of congenital heart disease, passed away at Kasturba Hospital, Chinchpokli, on Monday afternoon after developing breathing difficulty.

According to information shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the child had not received the measles vaccination. (Shutterstock)

According to information shared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the child had not received the measles vaccination. She had ventricular septal defect (or a hole in the heart) for which she has undergone surgery recently. She was admitted in a private hospital for a month for the treatment and was discharged two weeks ago.

After developing symptoms of measles and difficulty in breathing, she was taken to Kasturba Hospital on Saturday. She expired on Monday afternoon, after her condition deteriorated further, said a press release issued by BMC.

The cause of the death was put down as acute respiratory failure with the presence of measles and bronchopneumonia. Her heart disease was also mentioned as a probable factor that made her more susceptible to secondary infections.

Out of the 14 deaths so far suspected to be caused by measles, 11 have been confirmed as deaths caused by the viral infection. Three of the victims were children from neighbouring cities in the metropolitan region.

On Monday, the number of outbreaks in the city increased from 28 (as of Saturday) to 34. Three new wards B (Pydhonie, Bhendi Bazar), D and T (Mulund) witnessed outbreaks in this duration, taking the total number of wards with active cases to 17.