Epidemic in Sindh: Measles outbreak claims lives of eight children within 24 hours

Vaccination drive still not under consideration for southern and central parts of Sindh.

HYDERABAD: The measles epidemic in Sindh claimed the lives of eight more children on Thursday and Friday, adding to the death toll of more than 60 children who fell victim to the disease since the start of January in districts of Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions.

Two-year-old Aqib and three-year-old Sikandar died in the isolation ward of the Hyderabad Civil Hospital, according to Dr Rasheed Akhtar Memon.

Five children passed away in towns of Sehwan and Thana Bula Khan of Jamshoro. In Umerkot, an 11-month infant, Mahnoor, died in Memon Colony, Kunri.



The vaccination drive, however, has yet to start in the central and southern districts of Sindh. “We are only sending teams to vaccinate children in a [particular] area which reports the disease,” said the Sindh focal person for measles, Dr Aqeel Qureshi. The health department carried out a vaccination drive to immunise 2.9 million children in eight of the nine districts of upper Sindh. Dr Qureshi confirmed that this option is still not under consideration for the southern and central parts.

Dr Lala Jaafar of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Sindh blamed the Expanded Program for Immunization and the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiatve for failing to immunise the children, especially in the rural parts of the province. He also held the health department responsible for a delayed response to the outbreak. The PMA has already called for forming a high-powered inquiry commission to investigate the causes of the outbreak and to punish the officials for their negligence.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2013.