NAWABSHAH: Two more children, who were administered anti-measles vaccine a couple of days before, were brought to Peoples University Hospital (PUH) in critical condition on Sunday evening.

The children Abdul Samad Siyal, 18 months, and Mansab Siyal, two years, were admitted to the hospital’s paediatrics unit.

Though their condition was stable now they were still being observed closely, said Prof Dr Ali Akbar Siyal, head of the paediatrics unit.

Three children had died and as many had been hospitalised in serious condition a day ago reportedly after being administered expired anti-measles vaccines on Saturday.

Asked about failure to get the autopsy of the children done, Dr Mujtaba Memon, district health officer of Shaheed Benazirabad, said that the heirs did not agree to the post-mortem. They were relying on reports of Aga Khan University Hospital where the other three children were shifted in critical condition on Sunday, he said.

Shaheed Benazirabad Deputy Commis­sioner Nauman Siddiq Latki said the vaccine samples had been collected and sent to Karachi and Lahore for examination. Their reports were expected to arrive within a couple of days, he said.

The officer said that they tried their best to convince the heirs of the deceased children to have autopsy conducted but they did not agree to it. Besides, the situation had become so tense that the post-mortem could not have been carried out without their consent, he said.

A senior health official who requested not be named said it was the responsibility of the hospital administration to ensure that the post-mortem was conducted.

It would not be possible now to ascertain the cause of their death, he said. He said that lady health workers were not supposed to keep vaccines in their purse as it could affect the drug’s efficacy and it showed overall laxity by vaccinators’ teams in abiding by set procedures.

It was alarming that a teaching hospital of a medical university which claimed to have state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratories was unable to find causes of deaths due to administration of anti-measles vaccine and the entire team was relying on reports of a private hospital, he said.

The health department had not yet taken any action against the officials responsible for primary health and prevention of diseases nor any case had been lodged, he said.

Meanwhile, Sindh health department has formed a seven-member committee to probe the deaths and severe illness of children in Shaheed Benazirabad district reportedly after administration of anti-measles vaccine.

The committee to be headed by provincial immunisation officer of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Waqar Soomro, comprises head of paediatrics unit at PUH, Dr Ali Akbar Siyal; WHO divisional surveillance officer, Dr Abdul Wahid Bhurt; provincial disease surveillance response unit, FELTP Dr Naveed Ahmed Memon; deputy project director EPI Sindh Dr Sohail Bin Saeed, acting district health officer Benazirabad Dr Mujtaba Memon and EVM coordinator and cold chain specialist Fahad Fahmi.

According to terms of reference, the committee was to probe the deaths of children, find causes and submit report to the health department within 24 hours.

‘Six kids died of measles in two villages’

BADIN: Six minor children have died of measles so far over the past three days in two villages of Rahuki union council, according to villagers.

They said that four children identified as Rajesh, Raj Kumar, Ajmal and Jamna aged between five to eight years died in Rato Kolhi village and two namely Lachhmi and Dileep died of measles in Dalo Kolhi village in the same union council.

But Badin DHO Dr Mehboob Khowaja claimed that the villagers had told him that four not six kids had died so far; of them they had buried three and brought one to Indus Hospital who, according to medical reports, died there of malnutrition.

“On Monday 10 children, four of them afflicted with measles, were admitted to taluka hospital in Golarchi,” he said and added that he had deputed doctors in the area to carry out vaccination.

He said the situation had been brought under control and the ailing children were being provided quality healthcare facilities in the area.

On Sunday, director general of health Sindh Dr Mohammad Akhlaq Khan and DG EPI Dr Agha Ashfaq Ahmed along with DHO and other officials concerned had visited the affected villages and directed the DHO to set up a camp in the area for the vaccination of ailing children.

Minor girl dies in Sanghar after vaccination

SANGHAR: A minor girl died in Sanghar Civil Hospital on Monday reportedly after being administered a vaccine by a lady health worker (LHW).

The deceased girl’s father Peeral Magsi told journalists that condition of her daughter started deteriorating after she was vaccinated by a LHW in Chak-61 village.

He said that he took his daughter first to nearby Gujri basic health unit but having seen no signs of improvement in her condition he brought her to the civil hospital where she died six hours after arrival.

District Health Officer Dr Shagufta Nasreen said that she could not confirm the cause of her death.

The girl had acute anaemia and fever when she reported at the hospital, she said, adding it would be confirmed after autopsy report and laboratory tests which vaccine was given to the child.

Sanghar Deputy Commissioner Zohaib Mushtaq and officials concerned of health department reached the hospital after the girl’s death.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018