SUKKUR, Jan 9: Ten more children died from measles in Ghotki, Kandhkot-Kashmore and Sukkur districts on Wednesday.

Five children died in Ghotki, four in Kandhkot-Kashmore while one child died in Sukkur district.

In Ghotki, two-year-old Abid Sundrani died in Janan village, one-and-a-half-year old Owais died in Muhammadpur village, five-year-old Pir Bux Malik died in Arbab Malik village, five-year-old Majida Waseer died in Mir Khan Waseer village and two-year-old Umaira died in Chak Islamabad village.

Meanwhile, in Kandhkot-Kashmore district two-year-old Aisha Shaikh died in Kandhkot city’s Shaikh Basti, four-year-old Rani died in Ali Baig Malik village, one-year-old Muzaffar Bajkani died in Thavo Maan Bajkani village and one-year-old Allah Dino died in Taluka Tangwani’s Arsala Bijarani village.

The tenth victim, two-year-old Khairan of Rejenko Salehpat village, died in Civil Hospital Sukkur.

Our staff correspondent in Hyderabad adds: Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed, speaking to journalists at the annexe of the Hyderabad Circuit House on Tuesday night, admitted that the situation of measles outbreak was quite critical in upper Sindh and attributed it to multiple factors. But, he said, this was not the time for blame game.

About the total number of deaths caused in the province from measles this year, the health minister said that 81 children had died from measles in the affected districts according to the health department while the revenue department claimed 98 deaths. However, he said, all of these were suspected deaths because otherwise they would have been confirmed by the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.