Minister orders measures to tackle measles outbreak

PESHAWAR: In response to the recent outbreak of measles in the province, Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah has directed the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) director to provide an urgent report on the situation.

The minister has urged parents to ensure the timely vaccination of their children against measles and has ordered emergency measures to control the outbreak.To prevent the further spread of measles, directives have been issued to establish isolation wards in the Medical Teaching Institutions (MTI) hospitals.

According to a handout issued here on Sunday, Qasim Ali Shah has also instructed the director-general health services to activate vaccination centres and relocate vaccinators from the disposal of medical superintendents to be placed under the supervision of district health officers. A Provincial Outbreak Control Committee is being formed as well.

A briefing provided by Director EPI Dr Aarif to the health minister revealed that vaccination centers had been set up in hospitals, including labour rooms, as part of the Birth Dose Initiative. These centers have vaccinated over one lakh newborns over the past two years while operating round the clock.

The briefing highlighted alarming statistics, with 3,889 suspected cases and 1,445 confirmed cases of measles registered in the province.Out of the 22 reported deaths in the past six months, measles has been confirmed in 13 cases, predominantly affecting children aged two to five years. An outbreak response is currently underway in 118 union councils across the province’s 24 districts.