FAISALABAD: Two more children died of measles on Tuesday taking the death toll in the district this year to 48.
Two-year-old Ahmad Sultan of Jaranwala Road, and seven-month-old Harram Shehzadi of Bhaiwala, were brought to Allied Hospital a few days ago.
The increasing number of cases reported each day has given way to a sense of fear among parents, who says every time their children sneeze or get down with fever, they think it’s their turn.
Health experts have expressed concerns on government’s failure to control situation and the delay in the anti-measles vaccination campaign, which they say should have been started two months ago.
Talking to The Express Tribune, pediatrician Dr Sirajul Haq said with a prompt response the epidemic could have been controlled. He said a number of cases, especially in the rural areas, went unreported due to lack of awareness of parents measles symptoms.
He said 95 per cent of the children in the district were now at risk of contracting measles as they had not been immunised against it.
He said contrary to claims by health officials, most public hospitals did not have the proper arrangements to treat measles.
Samundri resident Saima Naseem, whose son is under treatment at the Allied Hospital’s measles ward for a few days, says she first took her son to a private clinic and then to the district headquarters hospital. She says she was not satisfied with the treatment there.
“I wanted the doctors at the DHQ hospital to vaccinate my other children vaccine, but it was not available there.”
She said her son was in critical condition because of the delay in proper treatment.
Dr Hassan Ali Khan, focal person for the measles programme at the Allied Hospital, said that 650 measles patients had been brought to the hospital since January. Of them, he said, 48 had succumbed to the disease.
He said some private clinics were causing panic among people regarding measles.
He said that measles was not a fatal disease on its own, but complications like typhoid and diarrhea could claim a person’s life.
If treated timely, he said, the complications can be avoided. He stressed the need for creating awareness among people. Dr Khan agreed that 95 per cent of the children in the district needed to be vaccinated. He said it was high time an anti measles drive was started.
Executive District Officer (health) Abdur Rauf said the arrangements had been completed for the anti measles drive in the district.
The drive will begin from June 24 and will continue till July 4.
“Most children suffer from measles at least once. Ninety per cent of them recover naturally. Complications occur in only 10 per cent of the cases,” he added.
Review meeting
District Coordination Officer (DCO) Najam Ahmed Shah has said that all available resources will be mobilised to save children from measles.
He was presiding over a meeting to discuss and review the arrangements made for the drive.
He said the Health Department was working to chalk out a micro plan to save the children.
The DCO directed the health officials to form union council -level teams that should be trained properly to administer vaccinate to the children.
Briefing the meeting about the arrangements, the EDO said there were more than two million children between ages six-months and 10 years old in the 289 union councils on the district.
He said the children from 6 months old to 5 years old will also be given anti-polio drops and vitamin-A capsules.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2013.