Kerala reports 824 confirmed measles cases, with outbreaks in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad

Kerala, India, is experiencing measles outbreaks, particularly in the districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad, udaipurkiran.com reports in a dispatch from Thiruvananthapuram dated November 8. Health experts have called for a reassessment of the disease's epidemiology. udaipurkiran.comudaipurkiran.comudaipurkiran.comOpen source ↗ Measles traditionally affects children aged one to five, but it now involves various age groups, including vaccinated people and infants under nine months.

Case numbers and vaccination schedule

As of November 6, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme reported 824 confirmed and 1,681 probable cases in the state. Five deaths are linked to measles, one of which has been confirmed. The previous significant outbreak occurred in 2022–2023.

Measles vaccination entered Kerala's Universal Immunisation Programme in 1985 as a single dose at nine months. A second dose was added in 2010 to close immunity gaps. The current outbreaks raise questions about the effectiveness of this schedule.

What experts and studies point to

K.K. Purushothaman, former Professor of Paediatrics at Government Medical College, Thrissur, said that in recent epidemics a good number of infants developed measles before nine months. He suggested adding a further dose for adolescents or women before marriage and called for serological studies of immunity in these groups. udaipurkiran.comudaipurkiran.comudaipurkiran.comOpen source ↗

The concern aligns with findings from recent outbreaks in Mumbai, where many cases were infants under nine months. This indicates that many mothers lacked enough measles antibodies to protect their babies.

A study by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology of 684 vaccinated children found that 8.5% lacked protective antibody levels, and some tested positive for indicators of recent infection. About 95% received the first dose of the measles-rubella vaccine, while second-dose coverage is lower, at 85% to 88%.

Experts stress that high vaccination rates do not always ensure population immunity. The WHO elimination strategy depends on consistent two-dose coverage, effective surveillance and swift outbreak response. Comprehensive epidemiological investigations are therefore needed to understand the dynamics of the outbreaks and the effectiveness of the current vaccination strategy. udaipurkiran.comudaipurkiran.comudaipurkiran.comOpen source ↗