Measles cases being reported at allied hospitals

Parents need extra care

Rawalpindi

The three allied hospitals in town have been receiving child patients with measles that hints that the parents should take extra care of their children to avoid a possible epidemic of the disease.

A few patients of measles are being reported at the time at both the public sector hospitals and private healthcare facilities, however, the incidence of the infection is alarming as the region has faced the longest epidemic of the infection in known history some two-and-a-half years back.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that the allied hospitals are receiving less than one per cent of the total child patients with measles at the moment, however, most of the patients of the infection were hospitalised for management.

At present, the number of child patients with measles is significantly low but still it is alarming as the incidence may go on rise if proper preventive measures are not taken well in time particularly by parents, said Head of Paediatrics Department at Rawalpindi Medical College and allied hospitals Professor Dr. Rai Muhammad Asghar while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

He said three to five patients of measles are being registered with Holy Family Hospital and Benazir Bhutto Hospital per day. Most of the patients admitted to the allied hospitals recently with measles were below nine months of age, he added.

It is important that in the previous epidemic of measles that started in the summer of 2012 and lasted till August in 2013, not less than 1,200 patients were registered at the allied hospitals of which 15 died of the infection and its co-morbidities.

Measles is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system. It is caused by a virus. Its symptoms include 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. Rai Asghar said the incidence of measles among children below six months of age is alarming as infants get immunity against the infection through mothers’ placenta and are protected against measles for the first six months and that is why vaccination against measles is started at the age of nine months.

He added that all cases of measles reported so far at the allied hospitals were found unvaccinated. Two doses of measles vaccine is a must to avoid measles and parents must be aware of the fact, he said.

Studies reveal that measles is spread through coughing or sneezing either through aerosol transmission or through contact with fluids from an infected person’s nose or mouth. It is believed that up to 90 per cent of people without immunity sharing living space with an infected person may catch the infection.

After contracting measles, the child patients become at risk of pneumonia that claims life in most of the cases and to avoid it, children must be vaccinated against pneumonia, said Dr. Rai. He said that parents can take their children from six months of age to 10 years of age to the hospitals for vaccination against measles. He added the only prevention against measles is administration of its vaccine.