Missed vaccination: Four measles’ cases confirmed from capital

EPI official says capital administration not declaring measles cases.

ISLAMABAD:

After the initial suspense, it was confirmed on Tuesday that six children admitted at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have measles.

Four out of these six cases are from Islamabad and one each from Rawalpindi and Gilgit, according to the Capital Development Authority’s Health Directorate (CDA). These children belong to lower middle class families and they have never been vaccinated against the killer disease.

Unaiza, a 10-month-old baby, from Sector G-7/4 was not vaccinated according to her parents. “After seeing my little girl in such pain, I really feel guilty for depriving her of this very important vaccination,” said Unaiza’s mother, who wished not to be named.

Other children are-- Abdul Samad and Uzma, both two, from Khanna Pul, Azmat from Bhara Kahu, Uzaifa, seven months old from Chaklala, Rawalpindi and two-year-old Irfan, who belongs to Gilgit.

CDA Health Services Director Dr Hassan Urooj said, “The situation becomes alarming if over five cases are reported from the same area which is termed as an outbreak.” Only one case has been confirmed from the area which falls under CDA, while the other three have been reported from the rural areas in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Dr Urooj added.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Amir Ali Ahmed was unavailable for comment.



Talking to The Express Tribune, an official from the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), who wished not to be named, said, the disease surveillance system of ICT and CDA was weak. They are not reporting measles cases, he said.

The coverage of routine immunisation in the capital which should serve as an example, is unfortunately low. But CDA claims that it is above 95%, said the official. “Every missed child is a big threat for the country in its fight against the deadly diseases,” he said.

EPI National Manager Dr Zahid Larik said, “Pakistan cannot eradicate polio from the country unless every child is vaccinated against measles.” The immune system of a child who at the age of nine months misses the first dose of measles vaccine becomes more vulnerable to disease, he stated. “The low coverage of routine immunisation and lack of accurate data about the coverage have become major challenges for the EPI in the fight against deadly diseases,” he added.

Dr Larik said the federal EPI is planning a coverage evaluation survey to be conducted by a national organisation to get authentic statistics.

The federal EPI  will introduce pneumococcal vaccine in the capital in mid-January. Children coming in for the pneumococcal vaccine will be immunised against measles as well, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2013.