Mumbaikars must not take Measles outbreak lightly, cautions Dr Pranav Kabra, even as 717 cases reported in Maharashtra till now

MUMBAI: A physician and cardiac expert from Mumbai, Dr Pranav Kabra associated with the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital at Malad in suburban Mumbai has warned Mumbaikars not to take the current Measles outbreak in the city lightly.

The slums of Malwani and Ganesh Nagar are near where the Raksha Hospital is located and are also hotbeds of the Measles virus.

Out of the 14 Measles deaths in Maharashtra since January this year, 10 were reported from Mumbai alone. The number of measles cases reported in Mumbai this year since January 2022 has crossed 303, according to the Maharashtra State health department.

The total number of cases in Maharashtra is 717, while Mumbai recorded 74 confirmed cases this year. More than 800 suspected Measles cases were also reported and testing is on.

Measles is a viral skin infection that mostly affects young children, but is not only restricted to kids.

Yesterday (Tuesday, November 29), Mumbai recorded five new measles cases and one suspected death, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in its health bulletin. As many as 10 deaths due to measles have been reported in the financial capital till November 28 this year, the BMC said.

Mumbai has also recorded 11,390 suspected cases since January 1, 2022. As per official data, last year, Maharashtra reported 3,668 confirmed cases, while in 2019 and 2020 the state recorded 1,337 and 2,150 confirmed cases, respectively.

Superstitious beliefs, lack of proper sanitation, overcrowding in slums and lack of vaccination are some of the reasons for the Measles outbreak in Mumbai. According to the BMC figures, most of the confirmed cases were among those kids who were not vaccinated, due to a resistance of parents to vaccinate their kids.