Key Points
Nearly 12 per cent of children in India who are eligible for measles vaccination have received none of the recommended double-dose, signalling a concerning gap in immunisation coverage, a new study has found...
The findings showed that zero-dose cases were high in the northeastern states, with Nagaland reporting the greatest share at 26 per cent..
While immunisation programmes were eventually resumed in a phased manner, measles zero-dose children pose a significant obstacle to achieving goals of eliminating the acute and highly contagious viral disease, the researchers said..
The researchers said Arunachal Pradesh was another such example, where the West Siang district had the greatest share with almost 50 per cent of eligible children receiving no dose of the vaccination, while the Lower Dibang Valley district had only 2.8 per cent of such cases...
Vaccine hesitancy, possibly influenced by culture and misinformation, can also lead to lower inoculation rates, the researchers said.. Socioeconomic factors play a significant role in measles transmission, with individuals from lower socioeconomic classes experiencing higher attack rates resulting in outbreaks, the authors wrote...
