INDIA'S PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING MEASLES MORTALITY REDUCTION STRATEGIES

Thursday, 6th of October 2011

INDIA’S PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING MEASLES MORTALITY REDUCTION STRATEGIES FROM 2010-2011

From: Hasan, Hayatee Binti [mailto:hasanh@who.int]
Sent: 30 September 2011 16:36
To: Hasan, Hayatee Binti
Subject: India's progress in implementing measles mortality reduction strategies from 2010-2011

An article on India's progress in implementing measles mortality reduction strategies over the period 2010-2011 has been published in today's edition of the World Health Organization's Weekly Epidemiological Record.

The Government of India has demonstrated strong commitment and programme ownership by providing full financial support to accelerate measles control activities aimed at reducing child deaths. Between May 2010 and August 2011, 17 states in India introduced a second dose of measles vaccine into their routine immunization services. The country is also organizing a multi-phase mass vaccination campaign targeting 134 million children during 2010-2012.

The first phase of the campaign was conducted from September 2010 to July 2011 with over 12 million children vaccinated against measles. The second phase of the campaign will take place from October to December 2011. Moreover, 172 districts are expected to be covered in 2012. In addition, states in which vaccination campaigns are taking place will introduce a second dose of measles vaccine through routine immunization services 6 months after completion of mass vaccination activities.

About 77% of global measles deaths in 2008 occurred in the South-East Asia region and a majority of these deaths were in India. Hence, India's progress in implementing measles mortality reduction strategies will make a significant contribution towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal Four which aims to cut under-five mortality by two thirds between 1990 and 2015.

To read the full article, see http://www.who.int/wer/2011/wer8640/en/index.html

Warm regards,
Hayatee