Measles vaccine effective against COVID
Red Book
Red Book

Pre-cum-Mains GS Foundation Program for UPSC 2026 | Starting from 14th Nov. 2024 Click Here for more information

News: Measles-containing vaccines (MCVs) might offer children some protection against Covid-19 infection, shows early evidence from a study by researchers from BJ Medical College in Pune. 

  • The study analyzed 548 participants (aged 1 to 17) who were split into two groups – those who have tested positive for Covid (via RT-PCR) and those who haven’t. 
Findings of the study 

Researchers found the MCVs had vaccine effectiveness of 87.5% against SARS-CoV-2 and that vaccinated participants had less severe Covid symptoms than the unvaccinated. 

What is the significance of the study? 

This recent study supports a much-discussed hypothesis that children are fairly protected against SARS-CoV-2 because of ‘non-specific immunity’ following inoculation with live attenuated vaccines, including measles-containing vaccines (MCVs) and the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) shot.  

  • The measles vaccine has been part of India’s universal immunization programme for the last 36 years. The measles vaccine is given at 9 months and 15 months 
  • Although their findings are encouraging, larger trials would be needed before a definitive conclusion can be made. 
 Terms to know 
  • Universal Immunization Programme 

SourceTimes of India 

Print Friendly and PDF
Blog
Academy
Community