The Union Health ministry on Friday said India received the ‘Measles and Rubella Champion’ award for exemplary efforts in measles and rubella disease prevention.

“In recognition of the country’s tireless efforts to combat measles and rubella, India has been bestowed with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion award by The Measles and Rubella Partnership at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington DC, USA on 6th March,” the ministry said.

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Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington DC received the award on behalf of the Union Health ministry of Government of India, it said.

The Health ministry said the Measles and Rubella Partnership comprises a multi-agency planning committee, including the American Red Cross, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Foundation (UNF), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and World Health Organisation (WHO), all dedicated to reducing global measles deaths and preventing rubella illness.

“This accolade celebrates India’s unwavering commitment to public health and its outstanding leadership in curbing the spread of these infectious diseases among children. It further recognises India for providing regional leadership to the measles and rubella elimination programme by using ‘measles as a tracer’ to strengthen routine immunisation under the country’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP),’’ it said.

The Health ministry further said despite facing numerous challenges, India has demonstrated remarkable progress in reducing measles and rubella cases and preventing outbreaks through a series of comprehensive interventions.

The Government of India’s proactive MR vaccination campaign in high-risk areas and innovative strategies to reach underserved populations, robust surveillance systems, and effective public-awareness initiatives have played a key role in safeguarding the health and well-being of its population, it said.

“The award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the country’s frontline health workers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and communities across the nation. These efforts have resulted in 50 districts consistently not witnessing any measles case while 226 districts have not reported rubella cases over the past 12 months,” it added.

Measles and rubella are vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and MR Vaccine has been part of India’s UIP since 2017. The government is working towards eliminating measles and rubella from the country.