Anti-measles campaign: Doctors, health officials confident of success this time

Paediatricians have urged parents to take responsibility and bring their children to vaccination centres.

KARACHI:

Paediatricians have appreciated the recent anti-measles campaign initiated by the Sindh government and urged parents to take their children to the nearest vaccination centres as soon as possible. The frequent reports of children affected by measles in different parts of Sindh can be attributed to the fact that immunisation coverage in the province was only about 29%.

"The vaccine is a booster and it is the responsibility of parents to get their children vaccinated," said Prof Iqbal A Memon, the president of Pakistan Paediatric Association.

Another child specialist and project director of the Child Survival Programme, Dr MN Lal, said that every child up to the age of 10 years must be vaccinated. "Even those children who were vaccinated a month ago should be vaccinated," he advised. "It will serve as extra protection against the disease."

Dr Asad Ali, an assistant professor at the Aga Khan University, said that the reports of measles cases were an indicator that the vaccination coverage had been lacking.

"It is not an outbreak yet, but the cases indicate that the coverage not 100%." He stressed that the citizens needed to be made aware regarding the importance of vaccinations. "It is a failure on the part of the parents too."

Paediatricians have advised parents to bring their children aged between six months and 10 years for vaccination. The doctors say that the campaign launched by the Sindh government conforms to international standards. "The younger children need immediate vaccination," Dr Ali claimed. "The chances for survival are greatly decreased if the virus affects a malnourished child."

The paediatricians claim that the Sindh government's campaign last year was not serious enough, adding that it was more on paper than in practical form.

"We have to take immunisation seriously," Dr Ali stressed. "Punjab is better than Sindh where the situation is very serious in Sindh and it won't be resolved until and unless all stakeholders play their due role." He added that schools, mosques and other institutions must actively participate in the campaign. He also advised health workers to visit each and every house to ensure the vaccination reached every child in the province.

"We are set to achieve the target and the coverage this time is almost 95 percent," claimed Karachi's Health EDO Dr Zafar Ijaz. "It is good news for all of us." He told The Express Tribune that the public representatives had been patronising the campaign. "Everyone is involved in the drive and we are happy with the success rate," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2014.