Measles reportedly claim seven more lives since Sunday night

Govt says the death toll is lower and people are wrongly attributing deaths to the disease.

HYDERABAD: Seven more children reportedly died over the last 48 hours after catching measles, taking the total death toll for the viral disease in the southern districts of Sindh to over three dozen since the beginning of the year. The officials, however, could not confirm all the fatalities.

Two more children passed away while they were being treated at Civil Hospital, Hyderabad. Eight others are still admitted to the hospital’s paediatric isolation ward. Dr Rasheed Akhtar Memon identified the latest victims as one-year-old Roshni Faisal and 11-year-old Sarfaraz Mahar.

A total of 19 cases have been brought to the hospital’s special care ward since January 1. Four children have died so far and seven were discharged after treatment, Dr Memon told The Express Tribune.

He said both the cases were initially handled by doctors who had not properly diagnosed the illness. “The sick children were not being given treatment for measles and were brought here very late.”

Sarfaraz’s father, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar, said that he had taken him to a doctor in Jam Nawaz Ali town in Sanghar and later to Civil Hospital, Mirpurkhas, from where he was referred to the hospital in Hyderabad a day before his son’s death.

Three-year-old Abida Khoso died in Jahan Soomro village in Tando Muhammad Khan. There have been over a 100 cases of the diseases in the neighbouring villages, Ali Mohammad Aamro, Fauji Goth and Saeed Mitto. According to unofficial reports, at least five children have died in the district. District health officer Dr Nisar Ahmed Memon, however, denied that there have been any deaths. He claimed that an immunisation campaign has been carried out in the village where the children had caught the viral disease.



Meanwhile in Badin, one more death was reported on Monday, taking the total deaths in the district to 11. Badin’s district health officer Dr Abdul Fateh Channa, said he could verify only two deaths caused by measles. “People are confusing the deaths caused by malaria and other illnesses with measles. Instead of bringing their children to hospitals, they go to quacks.” He added that only two children died in government hospitals.

Two children also reportedly died in Dadu district’s Mehar taluka. Four-year-old Imam Zadi Chandio passed away in Rasool Bux Chandio village and five-year-old Zafar Machi died in Pakhera Macchi village.

In Mirpurkhas, where a vaccination campaign has yet to start despite divisional commissioner Ghulam Hussain Memon’s orders three days ago, one more child has passed away. The victim, identified as one-year-old Hero Bheel died at the district’s Civil hospital.

Confusions with numbers

The provincial focal person for measles, Dr Aqeel Qureshi, confirmed only five deaths in Sindh over the last seven days. “There were two deaths in Hyderabad, two in Jamshoro and one in Matiari.” But he complained that not all the district health departments in southern Sindh are contacting his office regularly.

While the toll continues to rise gradually, a door-to-door vaccination campaign in the southern parts of the province is not on the cards. When questioned about a campaing in the districts in lower Sindh, Dr Qureshi said, “There have been no directives so far. I will have to ask the high-ups.” The provincial health secretary Aftab Khatri was unavailable for comment.

Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has started a campaign against measles and organised a walk to increase awareness in Larkana. Five medical teams of PRCS have been working to deliver primary healthcare services as part of a “Integrated Recovery Programme”. These medical teams are focusing on a mass vaccination campaign and have vaccinated over 10,000 children so far.

With additional input from PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2013.