Is India lagging in measles vaccination?

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Health

Context:

A new report from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said measles cases in 2022 have increased by 18%, and deaths by 43% globally, compared to 2021.

Details of the report:

This takes the estimated number of measles cases to nine million and deaths to 1,36,000, mostly among children.
Globally 22 million children did not get their first measles shot in 2022 and half of them live in 10 countries including India, where an estimated 1.1 million infants did not get the first dose of the vaccine.
India’s Universal Immunisation Programme is one of the largest public health programmes in the world targeting close to 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women annually.
Measles vaccination averted 56 million deaths between 2000 and 2021.
The pandemic has led to setbacks in surveillance and immunisation efforts across the globe leaving millions of children vulnerable to diseases like measles.

Measles:

Measles is a contagious disease caused by a virus, which spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Measles starts with a cough, runny nose, red eyes, and fever. Then a rash of tiny, red spots breaks out. It starts at the head and spreads to the rest of the body.
It affects mainly children causing significant morbidity and mortality.
Measles can be prevented with the MMR vaccine. The vaccine protects against three diseases — measles, mumps and rubella. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.