Context: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the National Zero Measles-Rubella Elimination campaign 2025-26, marking a significant step towards India's goal of eliminating Measles and Rubella by 2026.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Measles, Rubella; Measles-Rubella Elimination campaign.
About Measles:
- Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease caused by the measles virus virus. Measles virus is a single-stranded, negative-sense, enveloped RNA virus.
- Transmission:
- spreads easily from one person to the next through the coughs and sneezes of infected people.
- spread through direct contact with mouth or nasal secretions.
- Symptoms: High fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes and rash. Rashes usually appear near the hairline & cheeks, slowly moving to the chest and trunk area, and later on the limbs. Koplik spots (small white spots) may form inside the mouth. Measles can also lead to serious health issues, including- ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and death. Fatality rate: 5-10%
- Measles Vaccine: The first effective measles vaccine was developed in 1963. In the last 50 years, it is estimated that measles vaccinations have prevented over 9 crore deaths worldwide. The vaccines reduce chances of developing measles 20-fold.
- Key Facts: Most people do not get the disease more than once. Measles is not known to occur in other animals.
About Rubella
- Rubella is caused by the rubella virus that invades the lymph nodes, eyes and skin. Rubella or German measles is milder than measles.
- Transmission: Transmitted through droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected individual. Transmitted through direct contact with fluids from the nose or mouth of an infected person.
- Symptoms: Low-grade fever, rashes, sore throat. Rubella may not cause serious complications in healthy adults, it poses a great risk to pregnant women as it can result in Congenital Rubella Syndrome which affects the development of the baby.
Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign 2025-26:
- With the ‘ACT NOW’ policy, govt. aims to target the elimination of Measles-Rubella in the same way as Polio and Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus.
- Aim: Achieve 100% immunisation coverage to children by administering them with the two doses of Measles and Rubella vaccine.
Key Facts:
- Under the Universal Immunisation Programme, two doses of the Measles-Rubella vaccine are provided free of cost to all eligible children, at 9-12 months and 16-24 months of age, respectively.
- Currently, India's MR vaccination coverage stands at 93.7% for the first dose (2024-25 HMIS data) and 92.2% for the second dose.
- In 2024, India recorded a remarkable decline of 73% in Measles cases and a 17% reduction in Rubella cases in comparison with 2023.