THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The health department has decided to create awareness about the importance, efficacy and safety of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine to counter the campaign being carried out by certain sections against it.
Experts say measles and rubella being highly infectious can spread through contact with an infected person by coughing and sneezing. Measles is associated with high fever, rashes all over the body, cough, running nose and red watery eyes. With immune system getting weakened, measles can result in serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea and respiratory infections such as pneumonia. In some cases the complications can even turn fatal.
Rubella which is a mild viral infection that occurs often among children and young adults is followed by rash and low fever. It may also be associated with swelling of lymph node and joint pain. With the country accounting for about one third of all children born across the world with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), doctors say the vaccination programme is a life-saving campaign. The MR vaccine effectively prevents measles and rubella for which no particular treatment modality is available.
Health experts vouch for the safety of MR vaccine which is used by over 150 countries. It has undergone rigorous licensing process that requires high safety standards, quality and efficacy. These have to be proved before granting licence. The regulatory agencies also continuously monitor the safety of the products in use. The vaccination programmes have been thoroughly tested involving thousands of persons. The vaccine being given in the campaign is produced in India and is WHO prequalified. While there are no serious problems associated with the MR vaccine, there may be side effects like low fever and mild rashes.
Experts say all children in the age group of nine months to 15 years must take the MR vaccine being given in the ongoing campaign. Even those children who have been vaccinated for measles earlier should take MR during the campaign. They say it is important for children to take the vaccine both in routine immunisation and in campaign to boost their immunity. Who should not be vaccinated? Children who have high fever or other serious disease (eg: unconscious, convulsions, etc), children who are hospitalised, those having a history of a severe allergic reaction to measles/rubella vaccine in the past and children who are on steroid therapy or immune suppressant drugs.
