At 150, measles cases decline in TN

There were about 1,340 cases of measles reported in Tamil Nadu in 2015, which dropped to about 550 cases in 2016. The State recorded about 133 cases of Measles in 2017, while there were about 190 cases in 2018. However, the numbers further dropped in 2019 as the State has recorded only 150 cases.

The State Health Department officials say that the second dose of immunisation against measles was started in 2011. Tamil Nadu has not recorded any deaths since 2010, when there were about three deaths dueto measles.

The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said that the immunisation schedule that included second dose of the vaccine helped in reducing the number of deaths due to measles.

“The State Health Department aims at eliminating measles from the State and currently, there are no outbreaks being reported as it used to be around 3-4 years back. We hope to reduce the number of cases to almost zero as the State has no deaths due to measles,” he said.

The neighbouring Kerala recorded a spike in the number of cases of Measles last year with about 600 cases reported across the State. Though measles is primarily reported among children, a large number of cases were reported amongst adults also.

However, the Tamil Nadu Health Department officials say that the outbreak in Kerala has not affected the number of cases in the Tamil Nadu.