20K kids under 5 yet to get the jab

A survey conducted by BMC’s health department has revealed that 20,000 children under the age of five in the city and suburbs have not received the measles shots. The civic body kicked off the survey in October, after the first case of measles was reported in the end of September

Mumbai: A survey conducted by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) health department has revealed that 20,000 children under the age of five in the city and suburbs have not received the measles shots. The civic body kicked off the survey in October, after the first case of measles was reported in the end of September.

20K kids under 5 yet to get the jab

Thereafter, the civic body strengthened its immunization efforts by hosting camps to cover the unvaccinated kids within the next month.

Additional municipal commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar said that the immunization gap was created over the last two years “not just in Mumbai but across the country”.

“We have already organised 140 immunisation sessions in different public health facilities, while an additional immunisation programme is on currently, under which we aim to cover the 20,000 unvaccinated kids over the next 12-15 days,” said Dr Kumar, adding that healthcare workers have been mobilized to convince the parents to participate in the camps.

BMC’s executive health officer Dr Mangala Gomare explained that the children had not received the MR1 (measles and rubella vaccine, administered between 9 and 12 months after birth) or MMR2 (measles, mumps and rubella vaccine that is administered between 16 and 24 months after birth).

Gomare informed that the city is facing 12 outbreaks currently, defined as clusters, in close proximity of each other with a significant number of an infection.

Dr Kumar added that healthcare workers and volunteers are visiting houses in slum pockets of the wards facing the outbreak, looking for symptomatic kids. “While the mildly infected kids can be treated at home, severe cases will be quickly hospitalized,” he said. He added, that around 150-200 volunteers and staffers are being utilized in the M East ward (Govandi) alone to ensure those children with symptoms immediately be administered Vitamin A doses, to reduce the severity of the disease.

On Tuesday, Urdu-speaking doctors from the World Health Organisation (WHO) interacted with the residents of Govandi. BMC also plans to combat vaccine hesitancy by involving local community leaders, politicians and public representatives. Their video messages will be recorded and circulated among residents of the areas in the red, urging them to get their kids vaccinated at the earliest and informing them about the drives.

BMC yet to confirm kid’s death by measles

A review committee of BMC is looking into the death of the one-year-old who died while undergoing treatment at Kasturba Hospital on Monday. It is yet to corroborate the fact that measles had caused the death.

Tuesday’s records showed 60 kids undergoing treatment at the hospital, five of whom are in the intensive care unit. There have been seven deaths, suspected from measles, since September 27. Four of these kids were admitted at Kasturba Hospital, two at Rajawadi Hospital, while one died at home. Official confirmation of measles as the cause of death has been established only in one case so far, according to BMC.

“We are awaiting the results of our review committee’s assessment of the other cases,” said executive health officer, Dr Mangale Gomare.

Tackling cases

Gomare added that with the caseload at the Chinchpokli-based hospital, the civic body is making arrangements to treat kids with measles closer to Govandi. “Shatabdi Hospital (in Govandi) now has 10 beds for measles patients, necessary arrangements have also been made at Rajawadi Hospital, in Ghatkopar. We will start an isolation ward in Shivaji Nagar Maternity Hospital in the next couple of days as well,” she said. Thereafter, only serious patients will be admitted at Kasturba Hospital, and mild cases transferred to other hospitals, she added.

Additional municipal commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar assured all peripheral hospitals will soon have well-equipped paediatric OPDs. “War rooms created in every ward during the pandemic are also being utilised for controlling the outbreak. An ambulance will be provided as soon as a patient’s family calls for help,” he said.

Meanwhile, at Kasturba Hospital, three wards with 110 beds, 10 ICU beds and five ventilators are in service currently.

Anxious parents

The mood outside Kasturba’s ICU was somber on Tuesday afternoon, with families from far-flung suburbs such as Malad and Nalasopara awaiting improvement in their children’s health. Rajendra Prasad Gupta’s one-year-old son Reyansh is severely infected. Gupta is a scrap dealer from Nalasopara. “We followed the vaccination schedule till he was seven months old. He has been falling ill after that. So the doctors advised us to hold the vaccine doses until he recovered,” said the distraught father. The child was hospitalised a month ago. However, he broke into rashes last week, following which he was hospitalised.