Outbreak: Measles claim two lives, 80 children still infected

“Measles is a viral disease and cannot be cured without vaccination,” says Dr Bakht Jamal.

SWABI:

Two children have been killed, while more than 80 have contracted measles in Gadoon area of Swabi, over the past three days. 

After claiming several lives in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and northern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the contagious disease seems to have spread to areas further away.

Executive District Officer (EDO) Health, Dr Gul Muhammad, sent mobile vaccination teams to the village on Sunday after knowing about the deaths of sisters Alishah,2, and Nazish,4.

The EDO said that the spread of measles is only a result of negligence. “People in the area had no awareness about measles and gave their children homemade treatments,” he said. According to the immunisation team’s reports, some children suffering from the disease were in critical condition and taken to the District Headquarters Hospital.

Dr Muhammad further said that 80 more children were found suffering from the disease and were administered vaccines.

Explaining the outbreak, he said that severe measles was more likely among poorly nourished young children. The most serious complications of measles include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, dehydration, ear infections and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, he added. “Although we have not received any patients from the infected village of Akhtarabad, we have heard rumours of children dying because of the disease and others having contracted it,” said Dr Bakht Jamal at Topi Civil Hospital.

Dr Jamal said that three children were brought to the hospital two days ago, but were sent back because there was no vaccine. “Measles is a viral disease and cannot be cured without vaccination,” he said.

Although he claims that all the children were vaccinated in the past, they might have missed a dose or two of the vaccine. He said that the teams also informed parents to bring their children to Topi Civil Hospital for the second dose of vaccinations. “Saving children from measles is much easier than curing them.”

EDO Dr Muhammad added that he is now personally monitoring the affected areas. “We want to immunise more children but cannot as we lack resources,” he said. He added that a plan needs to be chalked out by the government to inform all parents about the disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd,  2012.