Indore boy first 'measles-infected' person to die in MP this year, say officials

An 11-year-old boy who was detected with measles while undergoing treatment for meningoencephalitis in Indore has died, making it the first death of a "measles-infected" person in Madhya Pradesh this year, officials said on Thursday.

The child was admitted to a private hospital here in an unconscious state for the treatment of meningoencephalitis and was detected with measles thereafter, District Immunisation Officer Dr Tarun Gupta told PTI. "The boy's kin took him to another private hospital without informing doctors and we have found he died during treatment late on February 14. We are collecting more details of the case," Gupta said.

Indore collector Dr Ilaiya Raja T said the boy, who belongs to a middle-class family, was not vaccinated against measles and had multiple health issues.

Against the backdrop of the child's death, a meeting of the district task force committee of the health department has been called and officials have been asked to intensify efforts to prevent measles, the collector added.

"This is the first case of death of a measles-infected child in the state this year. We have sought complete details of the case and only then can we say if he died of measles," state immunisation officer Dr Santosh Shukla said. Since January 1, a total of 95 measles cases have been detected in the state, he informed.

The state health department has increased surveillance and vaccination against measles as the Centre has set a target of making the country free of the scourge by the end of 2023, other officials said.