Context: Recently, A press release issued by the UN noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, measles immunisation campaigns have been delayed in 24 countries and will be canceled in 13 others since healthcare workers are required to deal with the pandemic.  

• The reason being that the healthcare workers are required to deal with the pandemic in countries where healthcare systems are inadequate.

Key Points

• The coronavirus pandemic, which has necessitated many prevention measures including strict lockdowns, has kept infants from getting routine immunisation services from some other diseases such as polio, yellow fever and cholera. 
• Measles is a highly contagious viral disease and despite the availability of a vaccine against it, it remains to be a leading cause of death among young children globally. The disease is transmitted via droplets released from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. 
• The initial symptoms occur 10-12 days after contracting the infection and include high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes and the appearance of white spots on the inside of the mouth. 
• Some of the most serious complications arising out of the disease include blindness, encephalitis (brain swelling), severe diarrhea, dehydration and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. 
• The disease is still common in parts of Africa and Asia and is more likely among poorly nourished children, especially those who are deficient in vitamin A.
• Mass immunisation drives and routine vaccination for children are the key public health strategies against the disease. Therefore, delaying the campaigns affects these strategies, potentially putting the life of thousands of children at risk. 
• Countries including Mexico, Bolivia, Lebanon, Nepal and Chile among others have delayed their immunisation campaigns.  It notes that children in rich countries are also not totally immune to this disease, since many parents (presumably a part of the anti-vaccination movement) refuse to get their children vaccinated. 

The WHO released an interim guideline for carrying out immunisation activities during COVID-19, which says 

• if immunisation actvities are negatively impacted during the pandemic, respective countries will need to design strategies for delivering “catch-up” vaccines after the outbreak subsides.
• Implementing this will require strategies to track and follow-up with individuals who missed getting vaccinated, assessing immunity gaps and re-establishing community demand.
• Further, it has advised that mass immunisation campaigns be “temporarily suspended” in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and that countries should monitor the necessity of delaying these campaigns at regular intervals.

About Measles

• Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.
• It is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.
• Initial symptoms, which usually appear 10–12 days after infection, include high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. Several days later, a rash develops, starting on the face and upper neck and gradually spreading downwards.
• The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
• The disease is common in parts of Africa and Asia and is more likely among poorly nourished children, especially those who are deficient in vitamin A.
• Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases.
• Prevention: Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with low routine coverage, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths.
• Rubella: Also called German Measles, Rubella is a contagious, generally mild viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults.

India and other South East Asia Region

• Unprecedented progress is being made against multiple vaccine-preventable diseases in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South East Asia region, which was certified polio-free in 2014, and two years later, in 2016, became the second WHO region to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. 
• Over the past five years, the drive to eliminate two deadly childhood diseases, measles and rubella, has gathered crucial momentum.
• Five out of the 11 countries in the region have achieved the goal of measles elimination (Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste) while six have achieved rubella control (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste).
• The remaining countries, including India, have initiated the implementation of key strategies to prevent infection, following member countries in adopting the goal of measles elimination and rubella control by 2020, in the 66th session of the Regional Committee for the WHO South-East Asia region.

Preventive efforts: Under  the Global Vaccine Action Plan, measles and rubella are targeted for elimination in five WHO Regions by 2020. WHO is the lead technical agency responsible for coordination of immunization and surveillance activities supporting all countries to achieve this goal.