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Karachi
The World Health Organisation’s Disease Early Warning System (Dews) and Response in Pakistan has confirmed 176 deaths due to measles in Sindh until December 15, of which 35 deaths of children were reported in the second week of this month.
The weekly epidemiological bulletin of Week 50 of 2012, jointly issued by the National Institute of Health Islamabad and WHO, said some 15 deaths because of measles were reported from Karachi, whereas 600 cases in all were reported from the city.
On Monday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed confirmed around 100 deaths due to measles in the entire province so far, whereas health officials across Sindh have yet to recognise a measles epidemic and launch a vaccination campaign for the viral disease.
According to the Dews bulletin, the number of positive measles-specific immunoglobulin M cases had exceeded 6,545 in Sindh by December 15, whereas over 430 cases of measles outbreak were reported across the province.
In the 50th week of this year, 35 deaths were reported from different districts of Sindh, whereas more than 578 positive cases of measles were reported and investigated by WHO’s Dews team.
Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Sindh is under fire from health authorities as well as officials within the programme, as senior EPI officials have blamed their own officials for not carrying out and monitoring routine immunisation in the province.
In many districts of the province, not a single child was vaccinated for measles the entire year, said EPI Sindh’s Dr Waqar Ahmed Soomro during a presentation on ‘Routine Immunisation in Towns and Districts of Sindh, 2012’.
His presentation revealed that Kashmore was one of the unfortunate districts where not a single child was vaccinated for measles the entire year, whereas in Badin, Larkana, Dadu and Ghotki, less than 10 percent of children were vaccinated.
Only 10 to 20 percent children were vaccinated in Thatta, Sukkur and Khairpur, whereas over 70 percent children were vaccinated in districts that were not even identified by EPI authorities.
According to Dr Soomro, data of measles in Karachi is more horrible, as not a single town of the metropolitan has fulfilled the international criteria of vaccination for measles.
The data showed over 97 percent children in Bin Qasim Town were not vaccinated the entire year, 88 percent in Gadap Town, 87 in Baldia Town, 84 percent in Lyari Town, 82 percent in Keamari Town, and 80 percent each in Landhi and SITE towns.
The report highlighted various issues like lack of payment to vaccinators; poor coordination between various departments; lack of motivation, mobilisation and resources; poor supervision by authorities; and poor or no counselling to parents as the reasons for poor routine vaccination across the province.
The World Health Organisation’s Disease Early Warning System (Dews) and Response in Pakistan has confirmed 176 deaths due to measles in Sindh until December 15, of which 35 deaths of children were reported in the second week of this month.
The weekly epidemiological bulletin of Week 50 of 2012, jointly issued by the National Institute of Health Islamabad and WHO, said some 15 deaths because of measles were reported from Karachi, whereas 600 cases in all were reported from the city.
On Monday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed confirmed around 100 deaths due to measles in the entire province so far, whereas health officials across Sindh have yet to recognise a measles epidemic and launch a vaccination campaign for the viral disease.
According to the Dews bulletin, the number of positive measles-specific immunoglobulin M cases had exceeded 6,545 in Sindh by December 15, whereas over 430 cases of measles outbreak were reported across the province.
In the 50th week of this year, 35 deaths were reported from different districts of Sindh, whereas more than 578 positive cases of measles were reported and investigated by WHO’s Dews team.
Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Sindh is under fire from health authorities as well as officials within the programme, as senior EPI officials have blamed their own officials for not carrying out and monitoring routine immunisation in the province.
In many districts of the province, not a single child was vaccinated for measles the entire year, said EPI Sindh’s Dr Waqar Ahmed Soomro during a presentation on ‘Routine Immunisation in Towns and Districts of Sindh, 2012’.
His presentation revealed that Kashmore was one of the unfortunate districts where not a single child was vaccinated for measles the entire year, whereas in Badin, Larkana, Dadu and Ghotki, less than 10 percent of children were vaccinated.
Only 10 to 20 percent children were vaccinated in Thatta, Sukkur and Khairpur, whereas over 70 percent children were vaccinated in districts that were not even identified by EPI authorities.
According to Dr Soomro, data of measles in Karachi is more horrible, as not a single town of the metropolitan has fulfilled the international criteria of vaccination for measles.
The data showed over 97 percent children in Bin Qasim Town were not vaccinated the entire year, 88 percent in Gadap Town, 87 in Baldia Town, 84 percent in Lyari Town, 82 percent in Keamari Town, and 80 percent each in Landhi and SITE towns.
The report highlighted various issues like lack of payment to vaccinators; poor coordination between various departments; lack of motivation, mobilisation and resources; poor supervision by authorities; and poor or no counselling to parents as the reasons for poor routine vaccination across the province.
Posted in: Karachi News
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