Measles-containing vaccines found effective against Covid in children: Study

A study conducted by researchers of BJ Medical College, Pune has found some evidence of protection from Measles-containing vaccines (MCVs) against Covid-19 infection in children, a Times of India report said.

According to the report, the study analysed 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.

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 un vaccinated, the report said.

The Pune findings support 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 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 report said.

The research was published in the peer-reviewed international journal, Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, this month.

The researchers said although their findings are encouraging, larger trials would be needed before a definitive conclusion can be made, the report said.