‘Need action to avert Measles and Polio epidemics ’

The UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) called for action to avert measles and polio epidemics as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued to disrupt immunisation services across the world.

Measles

• Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. It is serious for small children.
• The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.
• Symptoms: Measles symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after exposure. They include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash.
• Prevention: It is easily preventable by a vaccine.
• Treatment: There is no treatment to get rid of an established measles infection, but over-the-counter fever reducers or vitamin A may help with symptoms.

Polio

• Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus.
• The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).
• Most people who get infected with poliovirus (about 72 out of 100) will not have any visible symptoms.
  • About 1 out of 4 people with poliovirus infection will have flu-like symptoms that may include: Sore throat, Fever, Tiredness, Nausea, Headache and Stomach pain
  • These symptoms usually last 2 to 5 days, then go away on their own.
• A smaller proportion of people with poliovirus infection will develop other, more serious symptoms that affect the brain and spinal cord:
  • Paresthesia(feeling of pins and needles in the legs)
  • Meningitis(infection of the covering of the spinal cord and/or brain) occurs in about 1 out of 25 people with poliovirus infection
  • Paralysis (can’t move parts of the body) or weakness in the arms, legs, or both, occurs in about 1 out of 200 people with poliovirus infection.

The situation

• The United Nations’ bodies had warned of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunisation services.
• The disruptions could threaten to reverse hard-won progress to immunise more children and adolescents.
• The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), of which WHO and UNICEF are the implementing agencies, had estimated budget for outbreak response.
• However, the current budget and funding could not cover the extraordinary costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting outbreaks of polio and other vaccine preventable diseases.
• A total of $655 million ($400 million for polio; $255 million for measles) would be needed to address the immunity gaps in non-Gavi eligible countries and target age groups.

What about Gavi’s support?

• Gavi, an international organisation that improves access to new and underused vaccines for children in the world’s poorest countries, bases eligibility on national income.
• Countries become eligible for its support if their average gross national income per capita has been less than or equal to $1,630 over the past three years.