An study of positive samples revealed that the city’s current measles epidemic is mostly caused by the virus’s ‘D8’ strain (genotype). The early discovery has put to rest speculations that the surge was caused by a mutation, as D8 has been circulating in the state for years. Meanwhile, the death toll from suspected measles rose to nine on Friday, with eight deaths occurring in Mumbai.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune has examined samples from the state’s continuing epidemic in Mumbai and other cities. Dr. Pradeep Awate, the state surveillance officer, validated early results that D8 is the predominant genotype. Also it is present in Maharashtra since long time.
“The data suggest that the epidemic is not driven by a viral change, but by immunisation gaps produced by the pandemic,” stated Dr. Awate.
This year, the state has reported 29 outbreaks, compared to one last year. There were 17 of them in Mumbai, seven in Bhiwandi, and five in Malegaon. Govandi and Kurla each reported five outbreaks in the city. Suspected cases in the state have surpassed 6,500 (2,860 in Mumbai) while verified cases have surpassed 510, including 176 in the city. Around 137 children are in the hospital, with 7 on oxygen and 2 on ventilators.
According to Dr. Awate, the outbreak is mostly concentrated in unvaccinated areas, where the severity has been exacerbated by linked variables such as diet, cleanliness, and living circumstances. There appears to be no improvement in the symptoms, which include fever and rash. The first mention of D8 was in a 2002 publication published in the Journal of Medical Virology, which said that the genotype D8 was discovered in Pune between 1996 and 1998. D8 has been identified during regular monitoring in Pune, Palghar, and Gondia in recent years. NIV and 15 other centres in India began examining measles epidemics and genotyping in 2005. In Maharashtra, four genotypes have been discovered: A, D4, D7, and D8.
In terms of fatalities, the BMC said that a 10-month-old child from Govandi died on November 3 after visiting two hospitals in search of a ventilator. The youngster saw a private doctor before being admitted to a Chembur hospital. Because she was out of breath, the hospital referred her to a BMC facility, which did not have a ventilator. The infant was taken to Wadia Hospital on November 2, but there were no ventilators available there either, according to BMC. Her parents had her transferred to a private hospital, but she died during the transfer. A six-month-old from Bhiwandi also died within a week of developing symptoms at a BMC hospital, becoming the first death outside of Mumbai.
Measles epidemic caused by D8 strain; 1 fatality suspected
