16th of March is observed as Measles Immunization Day every year in order to raise awareness about this deadly disease and the role of measles vaccine to fight the disease.
Measles (Khasra), one of the leading causes of death and disability among young children, is a highly contagious viral disease. There is no specific treatment for measles but a vaccine which helps to protect from the disease, and is both safe as well as cost effective. Young children, who don’t receive measles immunization, are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death.
A single individual infected with measles can infect about 12-18 other persons. The virus is known to spread via respiratory droplets or direct contact with a person suffering from the condition as it infects the nasopharyngeal epithelium, cells in the nasal and throat region. The symptoms usually appear after 10 – 12 days post infection. The initial symptoms include high fever, runny nose, tiny spots in the mouth and red eyes. It also causes skin rash which develops around 14 days after exposure with the virus and spreads from the face and neck to the trunk and limbs.
Patients are contagious from four days before the onset of rash till 4 days after the onset of the rash. Around 5 to 7 days post exposure, the infection spreads through the bloodstream to the skin, conjunctivae and respiratory tract. The symptoms tend to improve by the third day of rash and patients start to recover fully around 7–10 days from the onset of the disease.
Measles kills more than 380 people every day, mostly children and infected over 9 million people in 2018 according to a report by “The Measles & Rubella Initiative” in 2020. Measles vaccination resulted in a 73% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2018 worldwide. Severity of the measles increases in cases of poor nourishment, Vitamin A deficiency and HIV/ AIDS.
WHO recommends immunization for all children with 2 doses of measles vaccine, either alone, or in a measles-rubella (MR) or measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) combination. In India, measles vaccination is given under Universal Immunisation Programme as Measles Rubella (MR) vaccine at 9-12 months of age and 2nd dose at 16-24 months of age.
Team Homeopathy 360 requests you all to make yourself as well as your surroundings aware about the importance of Measles Immunization Day and get your children vaccinated for Measles.
