Measles vaccination campaign concludes today

Rawalpindi
Two-week measles crash activity that was supposed to be concluded here in the district on Monday would now be finalised today (Wednesday) as the district health department extended the campaign for two days.
The district health department extended the measles vaccination campaign for two days to administer measles vaccine to children in at least two chains of schools in the district and a few vicinities falling under jurisdiction of cantonment boards in town.
Earlier, the campaign was extended for one day but now activities under the measles crash activity would be carried out today (Wednesday) too, said District Health Officer Dr. Rafiq Ahmed while talking to 'The News' on Tuesday.
He added that a big chain of schools in town has requested the district health department to administer anti-measles injections to students in schools under its control on Wednesday.
To a query, he said the data regarding vaccinated child population in the district would be finalised after the activities on Wednesday. He, however, added that till Monday evening, the district health department has vaccinated as many as 1,395,000 children from six months of age to 10 years against measles in the district.
It is important that the district health department has set a target of vaccinating a total of 1,351,512 children in the district for the on-going measles vaccination campaign.
We have already achieved the desired results from the measles crash activity and the response of parents towards the campaign is highly appreciable, said Dr. Rafiq.
He added that the district health department is trying to vaccinate as many children as possible under the on-going measles crash activity against the highly contagious infection of the respiratory system and it is so because the campaign is launched once in a year.
Measles is caused by a virus and is considered as one of the leading causes of death in young children. 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, diarrhea and encephalitis later on.
The provincial health department decided to carry out measles crash activity every year after a severe measles epidemic in 2012 that lasted till 2013 and is termed as the longest epidemic of the infection in known history.
The extension in on-going measles vaccination campaign for a day or two is not bothering the staff of the district health department as the next activity would be carried out after a year, said Dr. Rafiq while responding to a query.