The overall cases of measles have doubled in India owing to disruption, and diversion of resources from routine immunization in the first two months of 2022. A similar pattern with the increased cases by 79% was observed globally. WHO has labeled this situation as a concerning sign of increased risk for the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.

As per the governmental data, first dose coverage of the measles vaccine dropped from 100% in 2018 to 88% in 2020 in India. The overall measles vaccine administration figures have dropped to 25.6 crores in 2021 from 27.4 crore each year in 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively.  

The relaxation of movement restrictions is highlighted as another factor behind the outbreak with google data showing that the annual visit to parks has increased by more than 80% in May 2022 in comparison to pre-pandemic figures.