Slum pockets in Malwani and Ganesh Nagar, a hotbed for Measles: Dr Pranav Kabra

MUMBAI: According to a survey conducted by the Raksha Hospital Research Forum (RHRF), an outfit of the Raksha Multispeciality Hospital (RMH) in suburban Malad, slum pockets in congested localities like Malwani and Ganesh Nagar in the western suburbs are hotbeds for the very contagious Measles which is fast spreading in Mumbai.

With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirming an outbreak of Measles in various slum pockets of Mumbai, experts at the Raksha Hospital Research Forum presently expect more than 100 cases of the Measles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in the next two days.

Dr Pranav Kabra (MD), Managing Director of the RMH who heads the RHRF, said that their estimates suggest more than 100 cases could be possible by this weekend itself.

“The BMC has estimated over 58 to 60 cases of Measles in Mumbai (as of Wednesday evening), but our estimates say that at least 100 to 110 kids could have the Measles in the entire MMR as the virus is very contagious and as schools have reopened after the Diwali vacations and kids have started going to school, there is possibility of the disease spreading rapidly,” Dr Kabra said.

The BMC must concentrate on pockets like Malwani, Govandi, Dharavi, Ganesh Nagar (Kandivali) and other slum pockets where the population density is very high and several children could be living in a single shanty, Dr Kabra suggested, adding that even street kids could be possibly infected with the Measles virus.

“In the recent outbreak, since about 50 per cent of the infected kids also include those who have been vaccinated earlier, vaccination alone is not enough to prevent infection and parents should be extra careful about the situation,” Dr Kabra opined.