— Health department cites vaccination gap and lack of awareness as key factors
KARACHI: The Sindh Health Department reported on Saturday that 17 children have died from measles in the province over the past two months. Of these, 10 deaths occurred in Khairpur district.
Between January 1 and March 8, over 1,100 measles cases were reported across Sindh, with 550 children in Karachi alone diagnosed with the disease. The highest number of fatalities occurred in Khairpur, while five children in Karachi’s East district, and one each in Sukkur and Jacobabad, also lost their lives to the infection.
Doctors attributed the high death toll to the refusal of vaccinations and a lack of awareness about the preventable nature of the disease. Hospital officials reported daily admissions of four to six measles patients, many of whom are under five years old. Some of these children developed pneumonia as a complication of measles. A recent outbreak in Khairpur led to the death of seven children within just two days.
Measles, a highly contagious and vaccine-preventable disease, presents with symptoms including fever, cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, and a characteristic rash that begins on the face. Symptoms typically appear 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus.
