India has been bestowed with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion Award by The Measles and Rubella Partnership at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington D.C., USA on March 6th, 2024.
Key points
- The Measles and Rubella Partnership comprises a multi-agency planning committee, including the American Red Cross, BMGF, GAVI, US CDC, UNF, UNICEF, and WHO, all dedicated to reducing global measles deaths and preventing rubella illness.
- Measles and Rubella are vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and MR Vaccine is part of India’s Universal Immunization Programme since 2017.
- Government of India is working towards eliminating measles and rubella from the country.
- Combined live vaccine for measles and rubella (MR) is used widely for the immunization of children in certain regions of the world because of its advantages over the individual vaccines.
- Combined vaccine provokes an adequate immune response in children simultaneously for the two infections and facilitates the implementation of current immunization strategies.
- Rubella is an infection from a virus. It causes mild fever and rash in infants and children. Pregnant women who get rubella have an increased chance of having babies with birth defects.
- Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine.
