MABELLA
VACCINE - SCI & TECH
News:
Indian Immunologicals
launches measles and rubella vaccine for children
What's
in the news?
●
A live-attenuated MR vaccine named Mabella
was launched in Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Tamil Nadu, as part of the
25th-anniversary celebrations of the Human Biologicals Institute (HBI), a
division of the Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL).
Key
takeaways:
●
Developed through an exclusive partnership
with the Polyvac Institute of Vietnam, Mabella promises to be a crucial tool in
the global fight against deadly measles and rubella.
Measles-Rubella
(MR) Vaccination Campaign:
●
The campaign was launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare.
●
It is an ambitious phased vaccination
campaign that intends to cover more than 40 crore children.
Aim:
●
The campaign is aimed at protecting the
children from the two highly contagious
viral diseases measles and rubella.
Measles:
●
Measles kills almost 49000 Indian children
annually. And, rubella (Congenital Rubella Syndrome or CRS) causes blindness
and irreversible birth defects.
Treatment:
●
While there are no treatment options
available for both these diseases, they can be prevented by vaccinations.
●
India is targeting the elimination of
measles and rubella from the country.
●
Measles immunization will lead to a
decrease in the rate of under-five mortality in India.
●
Under the campaign, the vaccine will be
provided free of cost to children.
●
This is a massive public health movement
and is being undertaken through coordinated efforts of the central and state
governments, local governments, civil society and the healthcare workforce.
●
Additionally, India also strengthens
surveillance for measles and rubella, which is important learning from the
country’s polio eradication program that helped to identify infected and
vulnerable areas and populations and enabled the program to adopt appropriate
strategies to eradicate the disease.
Measles
and Rubella Vaccine:
●
Five
countries have eliminated measles – Bhutan, DPR Korea, Maldives, Sri Lanka and
Timor-Leste.
●
Six
countries have controlled rubella – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Timor-Leste.
Elimination
Status:
●
A country is verified as having eliminated
measles and rubella when there is no evidence of endemic transmission of the
respective viruses for over three years in the presence of a well-performing
surveillance system.