Four children have died due to measles in the district while over 1,000 were affected by the disease that broke out in February. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
A 10 day anti-measles drive kicked off on Monday to vaccinate over 1.2 million children in Rawalpindi district.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Rawalpindi Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal said 600 teams have been constituted to vaccinate children in seven tehsils of the district.
“Teams visiting door-to-door to administer the vaccine will create awareness about the disease among parents,” he said. He added that teams would also be deployed at major entries and exits of all tehsils to ensure that children receive the vaccination.
The vaccine will be administered to children aged six months to six years, Gondal said. “The drive is being launched across the province and children in 23 districts have been vaccinated so far.”
Four children have died due to measles in the district while over 1,000 were affected by the disease that broke out in February. Over 21,000 have been affected since, forcing the provincial government to launch a province-wide anti-measles drive to stem it.
The health department has managed to keep a check on the disease, Gondal claimed. “The number of casualties is far less than in other districts,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2013.
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