Endemic: 650 cases of measles reported at LRH this year

Doctors say most of the patients are brought to the hospital in critical condition.

KARACHI: Patients in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) continue to suffer from measles and the contagion seems to persist with a total of 650 cases recorded at the Lady Reading Hospital this year.

Data from LRH’s Isolation Ward shows that out of the 650 patients suffering from measles, 46 children have died while 22 are still being treated. Doctors said a majority of the patients were in critical condition and their chances for survival were less.

Dr Mushtaq of the Isolation Ward said many patients belonged to poor families and had been treated by unprofessional doctors or nursed at home before being brought here. When their condition deteriorated further, they were brought to LRH, he added.



“The parents do not understand the symptoms of this fatal disease and when it reaches the last stage, only then do they bring them for treatment. Many parents do not even know when to get their children immunised.”

Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Deputy Director Dr Janbaz Afridi said an anti-measles campaign could not be carried out due to financial constraints and only routine vaccines are available in all hospitals.

“We have asked t   ment to provide Rs430 million to the K-P health department so that we can get the required vaccines to initiate a campaign across the province,” said Dr Afridi.

The health department only started a door-to-door anti-measles campaign in Upper and Lower Dir districts in January after 70 people died from the disease. The health department had sent a special team to the area to coordinate with the local administration and health officials to deal with the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2013.