Agartala, May 23:
Amid rising concern over the spread of measles-rubella in neighbouring Bangladesh, where more than 200 deaths have reportedly been recorded, authorities in Tripura’s border district of Unakoti district have stepped up surveillance, immunisation and awareness measures to prevent any possible outbreak with positive cases already been identified said a senior official.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Unakoti District Magistrate Megha Jain said Tripura remains vulnerable to the contagious disease due to its 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh and the movement of people across border areas.
The District Magistrate said a number of measles-rubella cases had already surfaced in parts of Unakoti district in recent months, including in Latiapura village, Irani area and Riyat Para, making preventive intervention crucial.
“Measles-rubella is highly contagious and mainly affects children between zero and five years of age, whose immunity is still developing,” she said.
Jain informed that the district administration has identified several children who were left out of vaccination coverage and a special drive has now been launched to ensure MR vaccination for all children up to 10 years of age across the district within the next few days.
Under the ongoing immunisation programme, children are administered the MR-1 vaccine at nine months of age, followed by MR-2 doses.
Reportedly MR-1 coverage in the district has reached nearly 99.9 percent, but hesitation regarding MR-2 vaccination still exists in certain pockets.
The DM appealed to parents not to panic but to immediately contact nearby health centres if children develop fever along with reddish skin rashes or eruptions.
The press conference was attended by National Health Mission Joint MD Nupur Debbarma, WHO representative Ronodeep Saha and Chief Medical Officer Sandeepan Bhattacharjee.
The officials said daily door-to-door surveys are being conducted by ASHA workers under the supervision of the Chief Medical Officer’s office, while awareness campaigns are being carried out through PRI bodies, schools, Anganwadi centres and other departments.
The District Magistrate said the situation in the district currently remains stable and under control, with five active measles-rubella cases presently reported in Unakoti district. None of the infected children are in serious condition as treatment, Vitamin-A supplementation and necessary medicines were administered immediately after detection.
She also cautioned that the upcoming festive season could lead to increased cross-border movement from Bangladesh, potentially heightening the risk of transmission.
Recalling a rise in infections around March, Jain said even one infected person can transmit the virus to nearly ten others, while the virus may continue to remain infectious in a room even after the infected person leaves.
The district administration and Health Department, she said, are jointly working to strengthen health surveillance and eliminate measles-rubella through aggressive vaccination and sustained public awareness campaigns across the district.
