3 suspected measles deaths in 7 days, Bhiwandi a concern

The boy ran a fever on November 18 and within two days, developed a maculopapular rash all over his body. On November 22, he was admitted to a civic hospital in Mumbai in the evening. He was incubated but succumbed at night. The cause of death will be confirmed after postmortem examination, said officials.

On November 17, a Bhiwandi resident, six-month-old Sakina Usman Ansari, had died in Mumbai’s Kasturba Gandhi Hospital of suspected measles. On November 18, a 14-month-old girl from Bhiwandi died at Kalwa Civil Hospital. None of the deaths have officially been confirmed to be related to measles yet.

Dr Pradeep Awate, the state surveillance officer, said, “We have got verbal confirmation that the 12th death due to measles has been reported from Bhiwandi. But as we are yet to get an official confirmation, the state’s tally stands at 11 today as well.”

As of Wednesday, the state has reported 553 cases of measles, of which 233 are from Mumbai and 44 from Bhiwandi.

Dr Bushra Shaikh, medical officer from Bhiwandi, said in case of the 14-month-old girl who died at Kalwa Civil Hospital, measles with bronchopneumonia has been cited as the reason behind the death. “But no official confirmation has been made. We don’t have an official confirmation on the third death as well,” she added.

As of Wednesday, the state has reported 553 cases of measles, of which 233 are from Mumbai and 44 from Bhiwandi. “There are 386 suspected patients with measles… blood samples of 121 of them have been sent to Haffkine Research Institute, Mumbai. Among the infected patients, 13 were immunised with measles vaccine,” said Shaikh.

In Mumbai, 113 children are currently admitted in eight hospitals. Among them, 26 are on oxygen support and five children on ICU at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital.

Under Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation, 2,980 and 2,291 children missed their scheduled first and second dose of vaccines, respectively, as of September.

With vaccine hesitancy being one of the biggest hurdles in Bhiwandi, 244 teams have been set up to hold immunisation camps in the area. The civic body has also tied up with local maulana to encourage people to get the jab. “On Thursday, we will hold rallies with schoolchildren to sensitise the residents about the importance of vaccination,” Shaikh said.

Further, a special ward has been created in Bhiwandi’s district hospital for the patients.