Measles outbreak in Pakistan

Battling disease and distrust in Pakistan

By Muhammad Shahid Imran

Travelling along Ahmad Nawaz, a rural vaccinator reveals the true difficulties and problems in the way of proper routine vaccination in Pakistan. The majority of Pakistani population consist of rural area which has been totally unaware about the importance of vaccine. There are myths among them that we saw many people survive long life without any vaccination.

The rural areas of Pakistan actually witness countless unreported cases of measles and other killer diseases. Ahmad has been informed by health centre about a death of child suffering from measles at hospital from this locality. The child was died because of the complications of measles, pneumonia and diarrheal fever. He was brought to hospital in total unconscious. His parents were responsible for this as they do not go through proper check up they assume it only a fever.

 Now as per directions vaccinating team has to vaccinate the whole village if it is rural and161 houses around the infected one if urban. Every case has been forwarded to concerned Union council health centre from where teams were sent to the target population.

Ahmad was a senior trained vaccinator accompanied by a social worker who if so try to solve the socio-cultural barriers among targeted communities. Ahmad told me that Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus which can easily spread through respiration or contact with fluids from an infected person’s nose and mouth. He said  Malnutrition and Vitamin A deficiency are the factors that aggravate the problem and cause complications ranging from diarrhea and high fever to pneumonia and corneal ulceration. Climate and other demographic factors can provide an excellent breeding ground to prevail the virus and epidemic can spread very fast.

            He also mention that WHO has been committed  to reduce measles deaths worldwide by 95 per cent between by 2015 and to eliminate it in at least five of six WHO regions by 2020 but attitude of people is a great challenge for that commitment. He said that parents who do not vaccinate their children should be fined as they are the real reason of current epidemic situation of measles in Pakistan.

He told me that mothers are responsible for this criminal ignorance in vaccinating their childrens. This act not only endangered their own child’s life but the life of other children in their community also at risk.

As measles is epidemic in Pakistan this year, people of that locality were scared. They dnt want it happen to their child. About 80% of them have not been vaccinated their children second time so they all are vulnerable to measles.

After the vaccination campaign i realized that people were not properly awre about the importance of vaccination. They don’t really know that It is the matter of life and death of their beloved once.

On the other hand immunization coverage in rest of Pakistan is also very disappointing. As per WHO routine immunization covers only 65% of the population which is much below the required standards of more than 80%. Public awareness is also lacking in rural areas of Pakistan and this results in parents preventing their children from vaccination because of unfounded fears. Basic Health Units and Lady Health Workers can very effectively play an important role in educating the people and providing children with vaccinations at their doorstep. A complete review of national Immunization Program by the government with emphasis on disaster struck areas is also required to avoid such outbreaks in future.

According to a report compiled by the Disease Surveillance System of the Punjab Information Technology Board and issued on Thursday, the number of measles cases in Punjab has reached 7,794 since January this year as compared to 2795 cases all over country last year.

Punjab government however called upon donors’ conference in june a month before the peak season of disease. They also going to start mass vaccination campaign from April 29 from Lahore. The vaccine would be administered to a target population of three million children in Punjab during the ‘largest-ever mass measles campaign, which is likely to be widened on country level.

Pakistan where 87 children among every thousand were died before reaching the age of five years, mainly suffering from pneumonia and diarrhoea, is celebrating 2013 as year of children. Authorities should consider children as top priority at least this year to provide them clean water, better sanitation and make sure their vaccination against diseases.