KARACHI: The death of over 30 children due to measles during the current year has set alarm bells ringing in the Sindh administration as the provincial health authorities on Monday announced that the world’s largest vaccination drive against the disease would be launched next month, targeting about 19 million children.

The announcement came from Project Director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Dr Irshad Memon, who along with senior health officials and medical science experts, at a press conference, asked the parents and society to help the government in the campaign to eradicate measles and rubella from the province.

“Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. It has so far claimed 38 lives in Sindh in first nine months of the current year alone while 2,489 cases of the vaccine-preventable disease have been reported in the province,” he said. “To prevent more deaths due to the contagious disease, every child between aged between 9 months and 15 years would be given a shot of measles and rubella vaccine from November 15 to 27 across the province.”

38 kids have lost lives to the infectious disease

He said both the diseases — measles and rubella — were vaccine-preventable and could lead to death or blindness and other permanent disabilities.

Accompanied by Director General-Health Dr Juman Bahoto, renowned paediatrician Dr Khalid Shafi and Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority director Dr Durre Naz Jamal, Dr Memon urged parents to get their children up to 15 years of age vaccinated against the measles and rubella to save them from death and permanent disability.

“It is not the government’s duty alone but everyone in the society, mainly parents, have to play their role to protect our children from vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Dr Bahoto.

He maintained that new measles-rubella vaccine would be used to inoculate children during the National Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign with a target of 18.6m children from nine months to 15 years of age, who would be vaccinated with the support of the EPI’s technical partners, United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The measles-rubella vaccine will be available free of cost at public health facilities and outreach sites. Despite several challenges, vaccines are saving more lives. The measles-rubella vaccine is safe and effective, and has been approved and recommended by the WHO,” Dr Bahoto said.

The official said that during the campaign, two drops of polio vaccine would also be administered to 8m children of under five years of age.

Dr Durre Naz Jamal said the incidence of typhoid had decreased because of typhoid vaccine and a massive campaign carried out by the Sindh government in 2019.

“We can save our children from measles and rubella by vaccinating them in this campaign,” she said. “The measles campaign will provide an opportunity to the EPI to administer the supplementary dose of polio while creating awareness about the benefits of immunisation among caregivers.”

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2021