Measles menace

Reports of children, most of them under five years in age, dying of measles have once more been coming in from Sindh. In 2016 alone, over two dozen children are reported to have died from a disease that is preventable by a vaccine which can be quickly and easily administered. It is feared the actual death toll may be considerably higher given that not all infant deaths are recorded or widely reported especially when they occur in rural areas with few medical facilities. The deaths indicate there is a loophole in the immunisation cover given to children. Whereas the Expanded Programme on Immunisation run by the government covers measles, it is obvious the vaccine has not been properly delivered. If it had been administered across the board, we would not have seen the current crop of cases. Reports that they are occurring because of a failure to deliver the booster dose needed to ensure protection need to be properly inquired into so it can be ascertained if they are accurate. It is also unfortunate that measles coverage in rural Sindh is reported to stand at under 30 percent whereas we need to cover the entire population if we are to prevent the disease from taking new lives.

We have an extremely high child mortality rate – 80 per every 1,000 live births for children aged under five across the country. In many cases, these deaths occur due to waterborne diseases or factors linked to poor nutrition. It is unfortunate that measles too should be a cause of death when it can be so easily prevented. Parents need to be made far more aware of the value of vaccination and the proper time to deliver the number of doses required. In countries where this regimen is properly adhered to, diseases that still remain a root cause of multiple deaths in our country have been wiped out completely. We need to strive towards similar goals. The latest measles outbreak in Sindh indicates we remain a long way away from our healthcare and child protection goals.