06:41
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Karachi
As many as 15 children have died of measles in the metropolis in 2012, World Health Organisation (WHO) sources confirmed to The News, and alarmingly, the vaccine for the potentially deadly disease was in short supply across the province.
The official WHO sources said the organisation’s Disease Early Warning System was closely monitoring the outbreak in Karachi and the rest of the province, while several other suspected deaths were still under investigation.
They said that the Sindh health department was planning on launching a Karachi-specific vaccination campaign to control the outbreak.
“A meeting of health officials and WHO representatives with all the other stakeholders was held and it was decided to launch a Karachi specific vaccination campaign against measles,” the WHO source claimed. He added that the Sindh health secretary chaired the meeting.
The source said that ironically, the measles vaccine was not available in Sindh, especially Karachi.
The official added that both the vaccine and the MMR injection were in short supply at medical stores and pharmacies of the city.
“A limited stock of the measles vaccine has been provided to the Sindh Health Department by the WHO, while more will be distributed in the coming days to meet the requirements for the campaign and to curb the outbreak,” the source added.
Health officials unaware
On the other hand, the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) Sindh Project Director Mazhar Khamesani said no measles cases were reported from Karachi or brought to his knowledge by the city health authorities.
“Normally, town officials report the cases to provincial health authorities, but so far no cases have come to the fore,” he claimed.
He said that EPI Sindh was launching a 10-day campaign in seven districts of the province to vaccinate around three million children against measles from Monday, December 31, 2012.
The EPI Sindh director said the outbreak of measles was reported from the rain-affected districts of Sindh, although there was no laboratory confirmation.
“Like polio, measles cases have to be verified from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad and to my knowledge, so far, the disease has not been detected in any samples,” he said.
Doctors: measles rampant
Leading pediatricians said that between 500 and 600 cases were reported from Karachi alone.
“I have seen four cases of measles myself. One was admitted to the Abbasi Shaheed hospital, one at Ziauddin Hospital and two children were brought to my clinic who had measles,” Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) President Professor Dr Iqbal Memon told The News.
He said measles cases had been reported from Saddar, Orangi Town, SITE, Sachal Goth, Gadap and Sohrab Goth. “Pediatricians are treating children with measles and also reporting these cases to town health officials and the WHO’s Measles Cell.”
“As per my knowledge, between 25 and 30 percent of measles cases of the total in Sindh were from Karachi. We have asked our member pediatricians to report measles cases to provincial and city health officials,” he added.
Dr Memon said a special vaccination campaign against measles should also be launched in Karachi as children were contracting the viral disease.
Vaccine shortage
The MMR vaccine, which provides protection against measles, mumps and rubella, is short in Karachi and not available at pharmacies in the market or at those of public and private hospitals.
Pediatricians are recommending that parents protect their children through MMR injections against the measles outbreak, but a survey of the market reveals that the vaccine is not available at medical stores.
In another alarming development, the EPI Sindh also exhausted its supply of the measles vaccine for its campaign in seven districts of the province.
It was learnt that on the request of the Sindh health department, the WHO provided a limited stock of measles vaccine, but it was not sufficient to vaccinate three to five million at the risk of contracting measles.
As many as 15 children have died of measles in the metropolis in 2012, World Health Organisation (WHO) sources confirmed to The News, and alarmingly, the vaccine for the potentially deadly disease was in short supply across the province.
The official WHO sources said the organisation’s Disease Early Warning System was closely monitoring the outbreak in Karachi and the rest of the province, while several other suspected deaths were still under investigation.
They said that the Sindh health department was planning on launching a Karachi-specific vaccination campaign to control the outbreak.
“A meeting of health officials and WHO representatives with all the other stakeholders was held and it was decided to launch a Karachi specific vaccination campaign against measles,” the WHO source claimed. He added that the Sindh health secretary chaired the meeting.
The source said that ironically, the measles vaccine was not available in Sindh, especially Karachi.
The official added that both the vaccine and the MMR injection were in short supply at medical stores and pharmacies of the city.
“A limited stock of the measles vaccine has been provided to the Sindh Health Department by the WHO, while more will be distributed in the coming days to meet the requirements for the campaign and to curb the outbreak,” the source added.
Health officials unaware
On the other hand, the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) Sindh Project Director Mazhar Khamesani said no measles cases were reported from Karachi or brought to his knowledge by the city health authorities.
“Normally, town officials report the cases to provincial health authorities, but so far no cases have come to the fore,” he claimed.
He said that EPI Sindh was launching a 10-day campaign in seven districts of the province to vaccinate around three million children against measles from Monday, December 31, 2012.
The EPI Sindh director said the outbreak of measles was reported from the rain-affected districts of Sindh, although there was no laboratory confirmation.
“Like polio, measles cases have to be verified from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad and to my knowledge, so far, the disease has not been detected in any samples,” he said.
Doctors: measles rampant
Leading pediatricians said that between 500 and 600 cases were reported from Karachi alone.
“I have seen four cases of measles myself. One was admitted to the Abbasi Shaheed hospital, one at Ziauddin Hospital and two children were brought to my clinic who had measles,” Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) President Professor Dr Iqbal Memon told The News.
He said measles cases had been reported from Saddar, Orangi Town, SITE, Sachal Goth, Gadap and Sohrab Goth. “Pediatricians are treating children with measles and also reporting these cases to town health officials and the WHO’s Measles Cell.”
“As per my knowledge, between 25 and 30 percent of measles cases of the total in Sindh were from Karachi. We have asked our member pediatricians to report measles cases to provincial and city health officials,” he added.
Dr Memon said a special vaccination campaign against measles should also be launched in Karachi as children were contracting the viral disease.
Vaccine shortage
The MMR vaccine, which provides protection against measles, mumps and rubella, is short in Karachi and not available at pharmacies in the market or at those of public and private hospitals.
Pediatricians are recommending that parents protect their children through MMR injections against the measles outbreak, but a survey of the market reveals that the vaccine is not available at medical stores.
In another alarming development, the EPI Sindh also exhausted its supply of the measles vaccine for its campaign in seven districts of the province.
It was learnt that on the request of the Sindh health department, the WHO provided a limited stock of measles vaccine, but it was not sufficient to vaccinate three to five million at the risk of contracting measles.
Posted in: Karachi News
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