Three THOs face music for skipping measles meeting

Karachi

The Sindh health minister on Wednesday suspended three town health officers (THOs) for their absence from an important meeting held to review the measles vaccination drive in the city.

Dr Sagheer Ahmed told the media that the THOs of Baldia, Keamari and Malir, Dr Arif Niaz, Dr Ashraf-uz-Zaman and Dr Irshad respectively, had been suspended for not attending the meeting.

“These officials have shown a non-serious attitude. It is the height of irresponsibility.”

Earlier, while presiding over the meeting of the city’s THOs, Dr Ahmed said emergency measures were being taken to prevent an outbreak of measles in Karachi.

“Under these measures, 2.13 million children will be vaccinated for the disease in the city,” he said.

He said the availability of anti-measles vaccine and syringes was being ensured in accordance with the needs of each town.

119,078 vaccinated

The participants of the meeting were informed that around 119,078 children had already been vaccinated for measles in the current month.

The health minister warned that THOs would be suspended in case any child of the targeted age group in their towns was left unvaccinated during the campaign.

He also reiterated that action would also be taken against the THOs who failed to achieve a minimum of 95 percent routine immunisation coverage in their towns.

In a comparative analysis, he said 1,450 children in Karachi had been brought to hospitals on the suspicion of measles in 2012. However, 543 were confirmed as suffering from measles and 15 of them lost their lives due to the disease that year.

Dr Ahmed said the outbreak of measles in the interior parts of the province had made it extremely important to take the required precautionary steps.

“Special vaccination campaigns are already under way in eight districts, where measles cases were registered in December and January,” the minister added.

Public awareness

The minister stressed the need for taking steps to raise public awareness about the importance of routine immunisation of children.

He directed Health Secretary Aftab Khatri to ensure that medical superintendents of all hospitals dispatched measles-related data to the department’s officers on a daily basis.

Additional Health Secretary Taha Farooqui, Expanded Programme on Immunisation Sindh Project Director Dr Mazhar Khamisani and Executive District Officer Health Imdadullah Siddiqui also attended the meeting.

Posted in: Karachi News