Measles vaccination crash campaign of 2014 being launched today

Rawalpindi
The district health department has finalised all arrangements to launch a two-week Measles Vaccination Crash Activity today (Monday) which would be concluded on February 9.Under the special campaign, the district health department has planned to vaccinate a total of 13,86,937 children from the age of six months to 10 years against the infection in the district.
The activity being launched today (Monday) was supposed to be carried out in December 2014 as it is third campaign of a series that was planned after the severe outbreak of measles in Pakistan in 2012.
The two-week campaign is an initiative of the Punjab government and is being carried out all across the province under which all the children from six months of age to 10 years of age would be vaccinated against the highly contagious infection of the respiratory system, said Executive District Officer (Health) Dr. Khalid Randhawa while talking to 'The News' on Sunday.
He added that after the measles outbreak in 2012 that claimed well over 100 lives in the province, the Punjab government had decided to launch the measles vaccination campaign which is termed as a crash activity every year. Earlier, two campaigns, one in 2012 and the other in 2013 were carried out that yielded the desired results, he said.
He explained that in 2014, only 95 cases of measles were reported from all across the province while not a single death was reported because of the infection.
It is important that the epidemic of measles that started in May 2012 and lasted at least till August 2013 was termed as the longest epidemic of the infection in the known history of the infection and it claimed well over 200 lives across Pakistan.
The district health department has formulated as many as 540 outreach (mobile) teams and 192 fixed teams. Each of the teams would be comprised of one skilled health official, vaccinator, one assistant and two persons for social mobilisation while a total of 197 union council medical officers are being appointed to monitor the activities which would be carried out on at least 12 working days, said the EDO.
He added the vaccinator in each team would be employee of the district health department because the administration of the vaccine to children would be done through injections while the assistants and members for social mobilisation are being arranged on voluntary basis or from district allied departments like Education department.
Measles is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus. Measles is considered as one of the leading causes of death in young children. It spreads like wildfire in communities where children are unvaccinated. It is characterized by severe coughing, sneezing, runny nose, high fever, watery red eyes and full-body rash. The measles virus reduces the immunity and children who have had measles -- especially those who are undernourished -- may die of pneumonia, diarrhoea and encephalitis later on.
Dr. Randhawa said the activities under the campaign would be carried out on all working days from January 26 to February 9 while the workers would avail offs on two Sundays and Kashmir Day Holiday.