Epidemic: Three more die of measles

LAHORE:

Measles continues to claim lives here in the city, with three more death reported on Monday. Imran, 2, from Lahore, Javed, 2, from Sahiwal and six-month-old Shahzeb from Gujranwala died at Children’s Hospital.  The government conducted a vaccination campaign earlier this month targeting three million children.

An official at the Expanded Programme on Immunisation said the continuing measles deaths did not mean the vaccination drive had failed. “The Health Department ran the measles vaccination campaign successfully. But those who were already exposed to the virus are contracting the disease. It takes at least two weeks for the virus to appear in the form of the disease,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2013.