Measles outbreak in Chaman kills three of family

CHAMAN: A measles outbreak in Chaman left three children of a family dead on Sunday.

According to the levies sources, the outbreak is being reported in several villages of Tooba Achakzai in Chaman.

Acting on the situation, District Health Officer (DHO) Rafique Mengal has sent special teams to the infected areas to control the epidemic.

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days.

Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40C (104F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. Small white spots known as Koplik’s spots may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms.

A red, flat rash that usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms.

Common complications include diarrhea (in 8 per cent of cases), middle ear infection (7 per cent), and pneumonia (6 per cent).

Mothers who are immune to measles pass antibodies to their children while they are still in the womb, especially if the mother acquired immunity through infection rather than vaccination.

Such antibodies will usually give newborn infants some immunity against measles, but these antibodies are gradually lost over the course of the first nine months of life.