Daily Times

SHIKARPUR: A measles outbreak has claimed three lives of innocent children at Madeji town in the last week of this month and another two children reportedly died on Thursday due to measles at Taluka Lakhi Ghulam Shah and Madeji Town while it was said to be at least two dozen children have been suffering from measles at Lakhi Ghulam and Madeji town of Shikarpur district.

Abdul Razzaq Mahar, the father of deceased innocent girl named Aafia, and Naimatullah Mahar, the father of Farhana, the deceased girl, resident of Lakhi Ghulam Shah town, claimed that their girls died due to measles because doctors have written measles treatment for their babies besides they also claimed that a further two dozen children including Rehana, Tahmina, Farhan, Zahoor, Reshma, Aamina, and others have been suffering from measles, but the Health Department has no plan to cope with the spreading diseases. It should be mentioned here, that in the previous week three children including Anam baby, of 03, daughter of Bhoral Shaikh, resident of village Bukhsho Ujan, a five-year-old girl identified as Samia daughter of Sanaullah Brohi, resident of village Fakirpur and one other child died due to measles.

When the District Health Officer [DHO] Shikarpur Dr Shoukat Memon was contacted by this scribe he said that it is not confirmed that the children died owing to measles and he personally would investigate the matter.

The villager including Rahib Ali Mahar, Khudad Khan Mahar, Abdul Razaque Mahar, Naimatullah Mahar and others demanded of higher officials to take notice of the spreading disease and that mobile teams should be sent to the affected villages for treatment so that their children could be saved from the disease.

It is worthwhile to mention here that Deputy Commissioner Shikarpur Syed Hassan Raza during a meeting with health officials held at his office on 05th November of 2017, rebuked health officials when many cases of measles had been reported in several villages of Khanpur tehsil of Shikarpur and he had issued strict directions to administer measles vaccines to the affected children.

The Deputy Commissioner further informed the meeting participants that there are 62 health facility centers where 110 vaccinators have been posted, but despite that, the vaccinators have failed to administer measles vaccination to children due to which measles cases have reported.

Published in Daily Times, December 30^th 2017.