Measles Outbreak in Mumbai: Here's All You Need To Know About BMC's Precautions

According to a data revealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s health department, confirmed measles cases mounted to 142 and 1,079 suspected cases with seven deaths have been reported till November 15.

Amid an increase in measles infections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday, November 15, spoke to BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal.

Shinde directed the civic body to immediately take necessary measures to prevent measles infections.

On the other hand, it came to light that after the measles outbreak in Mumbai’s slum pockets, the civic body has been on the alert and geared up to tackle the spread of the infectious disease.

Chahal briefed Shinde on the precautions taken by the health department of the BMC.

• 400 additional vaccinations planned over the coming 10 days to cover children who have not received immunization against measles.
• Doubling of COVID ward war rooms for measles monitoring
• Control room has been started at the Epidemic Control Room in the BMC headquarters to review the situation.
• An isolation room has been started at Shivaji Nagar Urban Health Centre in Govandi, the epicentre of the current outbreak, for patients with mild symptoms.
• A triage system has been created too.
• BMC has pressed into service an additional 470 ASHA workers and 200 volunteers to strengthen routine immunisation in 24 divisions in Mumbai.
• The civic body has also instructed peripheral hospitals, maternity homes and dispensaries to report cases of fever and rash.
• In addition, Shinde ordered that hospitals should keep all requisite medicines. He said the vaccination should be sped up and the survey of affected parts carried out on a large scale.
• Civic officials have appealed to parents to get children in the 9-16 age group vaccinated against the disease.

Shinde spoke to the health minister too and told the health department to take remedial measures.

The civic body said that most of the cases have shown symptoms of fever and rashes on the body. Overall, the number of suspected measles cases in the city rose to 1,263, and 647 of these cases included children in the age group of 1 to 4 years, the BMC added.

While earlier, Govandi (M/E ward) in Mumbai was reported to be the hotspot of the measles outbreak, the BMC has now listed slum pockets in other wards - E (Byculla), F/N (Matunga), G/South (Prabhadevi), P/North (Malad West), M/W (Chembur), L (Kurla) and H/E (Bandra, Santacruz) to also be the hotspots for reporting suspected cases in Mumbai.

The severe patients will be sent to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi and Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar. Critical patients will be referred to Kasturba Hospital in Chinchpokli, where 68 children are currently undergoing treatment. Five children are on oxygen support.