New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health on Wednesday has decided to depute three high-level multi-disciplinary 3-member teams to Ranchi (Jharkhand), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Malappuram (Kerala) to take stock of the upsurge in cases of Measles.

The teams will assist the State Health Authorities in instituting public health measures and facilitate operationalization of requisite control and containment measures, the health ministry said in a statement.

The Central team to Ranchi comprises of experts drawn from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RMLH), New Delhi. Experts from PHO, Mumbai, Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital (KSCH), New Delhi and Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare (RoHFW), Ahmedabad will comprise the Central team to Ahmedabad and the team to Malappuram will consist of experts from RoHFW, Thiruvananthapuram, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry and Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), New Delhi, it said.

Senior Regional Director, RoHFW, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Kerala will coordinate with the respective teams regarding their visits.

The teams will also undertake field visits to investigate the outbreak and assist the State Health Departments in terms of public health measures, management guidelines and protocols to manage the increasing cases of Measles being reported in the three cities, it said.

The teams will also coordinate with the States for ensuring active case search in the area and with VRDLs for testing of the identified cases.

Measles is an airborne disease caused by a virus of the paramyxovirus family. It spreads easily from one person to the next through the coughs and sneezes of infected people.

Common complications are ear infections and diarrhoea. Serious complications include pneumonia and encephalitis.