Preventable disease: Measles claim two more lives

LAHORE:

The immunisation campaign carried out by the Health Department in the city has yet to yield results, as the influx of children suffering from measles has not slowed down.

On Monday, Rabia, 9, and Nazia, 4, died of the disease. According to the Health Department, 135 children have died in the province since January this year. Out of these, 78 were from Lahore.

As many as 34 new cases of the disease were reported in the province on Monday, 21 of those were from Lahore. The number of children reported with measles has thus reached 15,516, of which 4,782 are from Lahore.

A doctor at the Children’s Hospital said had the inoculation campaign started on time, the deaths could have been avoided. Immunisation has not been carried out in districts other than Lahore. People from other districts were bringing their children with measles to Lahore for treatment.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2013.