Pak: 17 children die of measles in Sindh from Feb-March

KARACHI: Seventeen children died of measles infection in Sindh in the last two months, ARY News reported, citing a statement by the health department.

Ten children died in Khairpur district of Sindh by measles in two months.

Sindh Health Department has said that over 1100 cases of the infectious disease reported in Sindh from January 1st to March 8 this year. In last two months, 550 children reported infected by measles in Karachi, according to the health department.

Khairpur district has maximum death toll by measles, where 10 children died of the infectious disease, ARY News reported.

Meanwhile, five children died of the infection in Karachi’s East district, while one each in Sukkur and Jacobabad districts.

The main reason of children’s deaths by the infection is avoding vaccination and lack of awareness about the infection, which has been otherwise vaccine-preventable disease, doctors said.

“Daily four to six measles patients being reported at government hospitals,” hospital officials earlier told ARY News.

Hospital officials said that children under five years contract measles and some children with pneumonia caused by measles have been admitted at hospitals.

A measles outbreak in Khairpur district claimed lives of seven children within a span of two days, ARY News reported. It is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by measles virus.

The disease symptoms usually develop 10-12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7-10 days. The symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. Small white spots may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms. A red, flat rash which starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body begins three to five days after the start of symptoms.

Common complications include diarrhea, middle ear infection, and pneumonia.

On December 31, 2024, Pakistan health department data confirmed the deaths of 132 children in the year with more than 13,000 suspected and 6,670 confirmed cases. Surprisingly, it shows only three deaths in Karachi, Dawn reported. (ANI)