| 15 die every hour due to Measles, infectious disease | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 6: As per data of World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that 1, 35 lakh measles deaths globally in 2015, an estimated 47,000 occurred in India- nearly 36 percent of the global deaths from Measles and Rubella diseases and India accounts for close to one-third of the world's measles annual deaths.
The false information is being shared on Whatsapp and Facebook for requesting parents not to get their children vaccinated against measles and rubella (German Measles) is creating hurdles in India's campaign to eliminate the disease which kills 47,000 children so far. Pertinently, Measles is a contagious respiratory disease that causes a rash, cough, fever, and others may cause death among vulnerable people like malnourished children. The health department, GOI, estimates that about two lakhs children are infected with measles every year, of which 47,000 die of the disease. Dr Pradeep Haldar, Immunization Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India told that India has launched one of the world's largest vaccination campaign against Measles, a major childhood killer disease, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), responsible for irreversible birth defects. 1, 35 lakhs of measles deaths globally in 2015, 367 deaths occur daily and 15 death every hour. "Last time, some people had spread false information or messages through social media like WhatsApp, Facebook and other platforms about vaccinations, which hampered India's drive to halt measles and rubella, "Dr Halder said, adding that now various Media workshops on Measles- Rubella being organized to aware those parents, who are refusing to get their children vaccinated after hearing rumours. He also told that WhatsApp and other messages discouraging parents from letting their children be vaccinated and these messages falsely claimed that the vaccine is intended to make children impotent. "To counter this false information which is being circulated, we have organized numbers of workshop and awareness camps and now going to take help of priests of religious place to aware parents about the vaccination, "he added. |
|
