SUKKUR, Dec 31: The death toll from measles outbreak in Sindh rose to 53 after 16 more children lost their lives in different areas on Monday.

According to reports, five children died in Ghotki district, four in taluka Thull, three in Kandhkot city, two in taluka Tangwani and one each in Sukkur and Jacobabad districts.

In Ghotki, two-year-old girl Soha and three-year-old girl Sanam, of Koro Malik village; eight-year-old boy Rehmat Kori and four-year-old girl Farhana Kori, of Bhutta Muhalla; and four-year-old girl Iqra Thaheem, of Fateh Pur village, died.

Three-year-old girl Fazila Khoso, four-year-old boy Zahid Sabzoi and one-year-old boy Suleman lost their lives to the disease in Kandhkot. They were residents of Gulsher Muhalla.

In Tangwani, two-year-old girl Shumaila, of Rasool Abad village; and two-year-old girl Sumera, of Gondal Khoso village, died of measles.

In Thull, five-year-old girl Sanam and her three-year-old sister, of Mumtaz Jakhrani village; and four-year-old girl Rehana and two-year-old Zafarullah died.

Four-year-old girl Asifa, of Bakhsho Seelro village, died in Sukkur and one-year-old girl Shanwar, of Jat Muhalla, in Jacobabad.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed visited different hospitals and basic health units in measles-affected areas of Sukkur, Shikarpur, Kashmore-Kandhkot and Jacobabad districts and inquired about the health of children under treatment.

The minister suspended Dr Shahid Shahani of the Basic Health Unit in taluka Salehpat, Sukkar, for his poor performance.

According to APP news agency, he also ordered suspension of EDO Health of Shikarpur Dr Qazi Khursheed, district officers of public health of Larkana and Sukkur and town health officers of Salehpat and Larkana for negligence towards their professional responsibilities.

The minister also visited Rahim Bux Bhambhro village and condoled with the parents who had lost their children to measles.

Adviser to the Sindh chief minister Haleem Adil Shaikh visited Thull town of Jacobabad district.

Talking to journalists, he accused the provincial health department of having failed to control the disease.

He announced that an amount of Rs50,000 as compensation would be given to each of the parents whose children had died because of measles.

Mr Adil also visited the measles isolation ward in Civil Hospital Shikarpur and handed over Rs5,000 each to the parents of 11 children under treatment in the hospital.

DHO Shikarpur Dr Khursheed Ahmed Qazi informed the adviser that 754 cases of measles had been reported this year in four talukas of the district. More than 25 children were admitted in Civil Hospital Shikarpur and other health centres in the district in December.

Fourteen of them have been discharged after treatment.

Mr Adil directed to the DHO to launch a special campaign for vaccinating children against measles and ensure admission in hospitals of every child suffering from the disease.

Meanwhile, assistant commissioners in all eight talukas of Khairpur district have been made inquiry officers and directed to monitor measles cases, along with health officers, and submit reports on a regular basis.

The decision was taken at a meeting additional deputy commissioner Captain (retd) Anwar-ul-Haq had held in Khairpur on Sunday night with assistant commissioners.

Captain Haq informed the meeting that over 29 case of measles had been reported in Khairpur and a vaccination campaign was being launched in all eight talukas of the district.