Worrying vaccination gaps come to notice after post-Covid measles spurt forces a data relook
National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) by researchers has found that more than one in nine eligible children nationally did not get any dose of the measles vaccine in the 2019-21 period, and that nearly 30 per cent received just a single dose, ToI reported on May 9.
A relook at the survey data was necessitated by instances of repeated measles outbreaks after the COVID-19 pandemic, the report by (by Rema Nagarajan) said.
The researchers involved in the relook were from health ministry's immunisation division, Banaras Hindu University and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In some Uttar Pradesh districts, characterised by a high number of births, the proportion of children who did not receive any doses of the measles vaccine was notably elevated, reaching 34.2% in Prayagraj and 32.2% in Hapur. Similarly, in nearly all northeastern states, the prevalence of zero-dose children was approximately 25%.
In a study published in the journal Vaccine, researchers examined measles vaccination coverage across different doses and identified gaps in immunization, particularly focusing on zero-dose, one-dose, and two-dose coverage among children aged 24-35 months. The research analyzed data from 43,864 children, considering socio-demographic factors including birth order, wealth quintile, gender, social group, religion, residence, mother's education, delivery-related factors, and media exposure.
The study highlighted a significant proportion of children who received zero doses, indicating a troubling gap in immunization
