Injections in measles are safe, but not in suspected polio case —Expert

Claims that babies who have measles cannot take injections in their treatment have been circulating in many communities. Similarly, a child with measles is advised not to visit a health care facility. Some express concern about the efficacy of the measles treatment making the infection recede.

Measles is still a significant health threat. Unfortunately, few measles cases were treated in the hospital because of these claims notwithstanding the complication of measles and the importance of early hospital presentation of suspected cases for confirmation and prompt management to prevent complications and community transmission.

Unfortunately, measles takes up the largest ‘chunk’ of the cases of hearing loss in both ears. In Ekiti state, researchers found that measles is the reason for hearing loss in both ears in about 45.8 per cent of children looking at the medical records of 142 children aged 6 to 15 years. It was in the 2021 edition of the Pan African Medical Journal.

These children had attended the otolaryngological and paediatric clinics of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti and Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, between January 2009 and December 2018.

They, however, said that 20% of the children with measles-induced profound hearing loss in both ears in this study had previously been immunised against measles although they could not be ascertained if this was due to measles vaccine failure.

Sadly, awareness of the complications of measles in Nigeria is also poor. For example, in Ogwuagor (a rural area in Enugu, with frequent cases of measles-like symptoms) between June and November 2019, only about half of the people surveyed knew the complication of measles. It was in the 2021 Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research.

These were parents of at least one child above 12 months of age. Although 90.6% of them expressed knowledge above average about measles and measles vaccine, 22.1% of the respondents delayed having their child get a measles shot while 14.6 per cent had a concern about the efficacy of the vaccine.

Forty-eight 22.5% were concerned about the side effects of the measles vaccine. The delays in having their child get a measles shot, concern about the efficacy of the vaccine, and concern about the side-effects of the measles vaccine observed were significant among parents of more than two children.

Nonetheless, Dr Babatunde Ogunbosi, a consultant paediatrician, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, stated that complications from measles can occur in different systems of the body, including the brain, and so a child with measles should be brought early to the hospital so that the health personnel can review and decide on the appropriate mode of treatment.

Ogunbosi, an infectious disease expert, stated that measles can lead to seizure, pneumonia, blindness, deafness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, and even death.

According to him, severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases.

He stated that for measles in children, there will be fever and rash as well as other symptoms such as cough, catarrh and conjunctivitis.

Dr Ogunbosi added, “Every rash is not suggestive of measles, we don’t want mother going about with that notion. But children with measles will have fever and rash and any one of these- cough, catarrh and conjunctivitis.

But still, we don’t want them to be casual about rashes in children because measles is a highly contagious disease. It can spread and if there is an outbreak we could have an epidemic situation in our hands.

“Mothers can claim that babies who have measles cannot take injections in their treatment, but it is left to the providers to decide whether the child will need to have an injection or not; whether it is vaccination or need injection as treatment.

“Having measles is not a reason not to take injections. The only scenario when the child may not take an injection is when the child has suspected polio. If you go and give him an injection, it can turn polio into paralysis.

“The good thing is that we are not seeing polio again in Nigerian. Yes, they can express their opinion and concerns, but it does not mean a child with measles cannot be given an injection.”

Dr Ogunbosi, however, stated that measles is pretty much unlikely in babies less than 5 months because the mothers’ antibody will still be protective and it is for the same reason why measles vaccine is given at nine months.

He said mothers need to ensure that babies take the 2 doses of the measles vaccine because of its effectiveness in protecting children from developing the severe form of the infection and children suspected to have the infection taken to the hospital promptly.

According to him, adequate nutrition and breastfeeding were important to ensure children stand a better chance of not developing the severe form of measles.