Sri Lanka and Maldives Eliminate Measles , rubella

Maldives and Sri Lanka have become the first two countries in the South-East Asia region to eliminate both measles and rubella ahead of the 2023 target.The announcement by the WHO was made after the fifth meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination, held virtually, Xinhua news agency reported.

Measles virus has been eliminated by 5 countries from the region

• In 2017-18, Bhutan, Timor-Leste, North Korea and the Maldives South East Asia region were the four countries in the WHO to successfully eradicate the Measles virus. In July 2019, Sri Lanka became the third nation from the South-East Asia region of WHO to eliminate measles.
• The year 2023 was the target set by WHO to eliminate measles from the Southeast Asia region.

Measles

• It is a highly contagious viral disease and is a cause of death among young children globally.
• It is particularly dangerous for children from the economically weaker background, as it attacks malnourished children and those with reduced immunity.
• It can cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia.

Rubella

• It is also called German Measles.
• Rubella is a contagious, generally mild viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults.
• Rubella infection in pregnant women may cause death or congenital defects known as Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) which causes irreversible birth defects.

Measures and Vaccinations

• The Measles and Rubella Initiative is a global program which aims at eliminating both these diseases.
• The vaccine for the diseases are provided in the form of measles-rubella (MR), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) combination.

India and Measles

• Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine since the 1960s, both measles and rubella are major public health concerns in India.
• More than 1.3 million children acquire measles infection and around 49000 infected children die each year, contributing nearly 36% to the global figures.
• Rubella infection in pregnant women may cause fetal death or congenital defects.
• It leads to the development of birth defects in almost 40,000 children annually in the country.

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