Contagion : Eight-month-old dies of measles

SWAT: An eight-month-old child died on Tuesday in Kalagay Madyan, Swat; the cause of death is considered to be measles.

Four other children are said to be infected with the disease. Residents said Muhammad had died because of measles and had caught it as many other children in the area were infected.

Haider Ali, who is in-charge of Madyan Hospital, said the child had actually died of pneumonia, not measles.

However, pneumonia is the most common complication of the virus. According to Ali, the child was being treated for pneumonia bacterium by Dr Saidullah Khan.

The hospital in-charge added they had sent three teams to the area to vaccinate children. They had managed to vaccinate at least 90 and learnt four of the children had already contracted measles.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2014.