Govandi kid died of measles in Oct: BMC

The home of the three deceased, in Rafi Nagar slum, Govandi

Measles claimed the life of a one-and-half-year-old boy in Govandi last month, the BMC said on Wednesday. So far this year, the city has seen 90 cases of measles and rubella in 17 outbreaks, it said. Information about the viral disease is trickling in ever since mid-day reported that three children died in 48 hours at Rafi Nagar slum of Govandi last month.

In October, there were 9 outbreaks - one in G-north ward (Dadar), two each in P-north (Malad west) and L (Kurla), three in M-east (Govandi) and one in H-east (Santacruz), the civic body said in a media release, adding that vaccine hesitancy on the part of parents was behind the outbreaks. The viral diseases mostly affect kids.

BMC's Executive Health Officer Dr Mangla Gomare said the first measles death of this year was reported from Govandi in October. "From January till date we have reported a total of 90 cases of measles and rubella of which 74 cases are measles and the rest are rubella. Our health staff is doing routine surveillance. Apart from that, we are doing home visits and vaccinating those kids who are not immunized. We are taking blood, urine, and nasal swab [samples] of suspected people and sending them to the National Institute of Virology for confirmation. We are appealing to people if they have a fever, cold, and rashes on the body then please consult a doctor and the doctor must report the local civic authority of any suspected case."

Of the confirmed cases, 25 per cent are not immunised and about 10 per cent are partly immunised for measles and rubella.

25
Percentage of patients not immunised