Centre sends high level team to Mumbai to take stock of Measles cases

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has deputed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Mumbai to take stock of the upsurge in cases of Measles in the city.

The team will assist the State Health Authorities in instituting public health measures and facilitate operationalization of requisite control and containment measures.

The 3-member Central team to Mumbai comprises experts drawn from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi; Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), New Delhi; and Regional Office for Health and Family Welfare, Pune, Maharashtra. The team is headed by Dr. Anubhav Srivastava, Deputy Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), NCDC.

The team will also undertake field visits to investigate the outbreak and assist the state health departments in terms of public health measures, management guidelines, and protocols to manage the increasing cases of Measles being reported in Mumbai.

Measles is a viral infection that’s serious for small children but is easily preventable by a vaccine. The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Measles symptoms don’t appear until 10 to 14 days after exposure. They include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash. There’s no treatment to get rid of an established measles infection, but over-the-counter fever reducers or vitamin A may help with symptoms.