Measles death toll climbed to 415 as more children died of measles on Wednesday.
Per details, two children hail from Shikarpur and Khanpur each including a seven-year-old girl, Khairan and a two-year-old boy, Jaffar, scummbed due to measles. The death toll in Shikarpur and adjoining areas registered 39 during last 45 days. Despite tall claims of the provincial and health authorities, measles which broke out in different districts of Sindh is also spreading into other provinces.
The worst hit districts of Sindh are Kandhkot, Shikarpur and Sukkur. 146 cases of measles were reported from Kandhkot district and 77 from Sukkur on Wednesday. ‘Most affected areas’ also include Kashmore, Tangwani and 80 other villages.
The provincial health authorities claim to have administered measles vaccine to about 2.9 million children in interior Sindh but locals of several areas have complained against non-availability of anti-measles vaccine.
It should be noted that so far 10 children in Punjab, nine in Balochistan and three children in Mohmand Agency have also died of measles. The citizens have demanded from the health authorities to adopt concrete plans to stop spread of measles in other cities of the country.
Measles is caused by a single-stranded virus; negative-sense enveloped RNA virus of the genus Morbillivirus within the family Paramyxoviridae. Humans are the natural hosts of the virus; no animal reservoirs are known to exist. This highly contagious virus is spread by coughing and sneezing via close personal contact or direct contact with secretions.
