India Receives ‘Measles and Rubella Champion’ Award

India has been awarded the prestigious ‘Measles and Rubella Champion’ Award by The Measles and Rubella Partnership. This award recognizes India’s exemplary efforts in preventing measles and rubella diseases.

Award Ceremony in Washington D.C.

The award was presented on March 6th, 2024, at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington D.C., USA. Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, received the award on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

About The Measles and Rubella Partnership

The Measles and Rubella Partnership includes agencies like American Red Cross, BMGF, GAVI, US CDC, UNF, UNICEF, and WHO. Their goal is to reduce global measles deaths and prevent rubella illness.

India’s Achievements

This award celebrates India’s commitment to public health and outstanding leadership in curbing the spread of measles and rubella among children. It recognizes India’s role in providing regional leadership to the measles & rubella elimination programme.

India has made remarkable progress in reducing measles and rubella cases and preventing outbreaks through various interventions. These include:

• MR vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas
• Innovative strategies to reach underserved populations
• Robust surveillance systems
• Effective public-awareness initiatives

Measles and Rubella Prevention in India

Measles and Rubella are vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), and the MR Vaccine is part of India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) since 2017.

The award recognizes the dedication of frontline health workers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and communities across the nation.

India is working towards eliminating measles and rubella from the country. As a result, 50 districts have not witnessed any measles case, and 226 districts have not reported rubella cases over the past 12 months.