The State will launch the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in October, as part of the nation-wide campaign to eliminate measles and control rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2020.
This is the first time that the Union Health Ministry is introducing Rubella vaccine in its Universal Immunization Programme as MR vaccine.
However, Kerala had on its own introduced Rubella vaccination in the State in 2014.
In 2014, under the State Initiative on Disabilities, as part of a larger initiative to prevent childhood disabilities due to Rubella/Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS), the State had launched a campaign to vaccinate adolescent girls (classes VIII - XII) against Rubella. Alongside, it also replaced the second dose of measles vaccination given at 18 months to infants with MMR (mumps-measles-rubella) vaccine, so that all children are protected against measles and rubella.
The national campaign’s strategy is to give one universal dose of MR vaccine to all children from nine months to 15 years, regardless of their previous vaccination status. Following this, the MR vaccine will be introduced in the national immunisation schedule to replace the single dose of measles vaccine given at 9-12 months and again at 16-24 months.
This wide age range campaign, as recommended by National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, will rapidly build up immunity for both measles and rubella and reduce the transmission of both diseases in the community.
The campaign will be taken up in a phased manner and the vaccination will be provided through sites at schools and outreach session sites. The Health and Education Departments have already conducted several joint meetings of their officials to ensure smooth logistics.
In Kerala, a universal dose of MR vaccine will be administered to 76.55 lakh children between nine months and 15 years (to be fixed as children in Class X) in campaign mode from October.
The MR vaccine has been found to be highly safe. Vaccination results in high (>95%) seroconversion rates, affording life-long protection against both measles and rubella.
“Once the MR campaign is completed, the single measles dose at 9-12 months would be made MR vaccine as per the national strategy. Kerala will retain MMR vaccine as the second dose to be given at 16-14 months. Ultimately, Kerala will have one MR and one MMR dose in its immunisation schedule,” a senior Health official said.
Rubella
Rubella, or German measles, is a mild, air-borne viral infection which manifests itself with low-grade fever and rashes. The infection often goes unnoticed because even rashes may not surface in some case.
Both adults and children are largely unaffected by rubella. But the consequences can be devastating for women if they contract the infection in early pregnancy, as these babies could be born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) or a group of severe birth defects including mental and physical retardation and cardiac defects.
The strategy of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the elimination of measles and rubella says that all infants be administered the MMR vaccine, while special precaution be taken to ensure that all girls in the post-pubertal or marriageable age (who might not have received MMR vaccine in infancy) are protected by a dose of monovalent rubella vaccine.
Public awareness of Rubella is poor even though Rubella outbreaks are still reported frequently from all districts. This year too, there were at least three outbreaks.
Both rubella and measles are highly infectious diseases and at least 95 % MR vaccination coverage is required if the State has to achieve elimination.
The stand-alone dose of Rubella which is currently being given to adolescent girls in classes VIII to XII will be withdrawn once the MR campaign is completed.
