Six children die of measles in four districts of Sindh

According to WHO report, 5,871 cases reported in Pakistan in 2016

HYDERABAD: As the measles virus continues to infect more children, six deaths in four districts of Sindh were reported on Friday.

Two children, Ashok, son of Vaal Ji, and Dharmo, son of Soomar, reportedly died after catching the virus in Shafi Muhammad Ghumman village in Badin district.

Kario Ganwar, a rural town of Badin where the village is located, has witnessed 12 measles-related deaths in over a fortnight, according to unofficial reports. Earlier, parents from Rato Kolhi, Mataro Khaskheli, Bhagat Mano Kolhi, Bachu Bhagat and Jagu Kolhi villages in Kario Ganwar had reported deaths due to similar symptoms.
In Hyderabad's Jaffar Khan Bhurgari village, five-year-old Rehana, daughter of Lakhi Kolhi, breathed her last after getting medical treatment for around a week. Her two-year-old brother is also ill with identical symptoms, their father said. He claimed that his children were not immunised.



Two children of Muhammad Hanif Lakhatio, a resident of Chohar Jamali rural town in Thatta district, died of measles in over a week's time. On Friday, his two-year-old son Qasim passed away following the death of his nine-year-old daughter, Kulsoom.

In Ripri, a rural area in Larkana district, two-year-old Naila, daughter of Abdul Ghaffar, died on Friday. Four children have reportedly lost their lives to measles in this town in a week.

Another death was reported from Thano Aarib Khan village in Jamshoro where three- year-old Vikram, son of Sajan Kolhi, died after suffering from the virus.



According to the World Health Organisation's report, 5,871 cases of measles were reported in Pakistan in 2016. The figure almost doubled in 2017 to 10,540 cases. Laboratory tests confirmed 2,806 and 6,437 cases respectively during the two years.