Measles continues to havoc in many districts of the province Sindh

By Shoaib Habib Memon

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which affects mostly children. It is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. Initial symptoms, which usually appear 10–12 days after infection, include high fever, runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. Several days later, a rash develops, starting on the face and upper neck and gradually spreading downwards.

There is no specific treatment for measles and most people recover within 2–3 weeks. However, particularly in malnourished children and people with reduced immunity, measles can cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia. Measles can be prevented by immunization.

The Antonine Plague 165–180 AD, also known as the Plague of Galen who described it, was probably smallpox or measles. The disease killed as many as one-third of the population in some areas, and decimated the Roman army. Estimates of the timing of evolution of measles seem to suggest this plague was something other than measles. The first scientific description of measles and its distinction from smallpox and chickenpoxis credited to the Persian physician, Rhazes (860–932), who published The Book of Smallpox and Measles.Given what is now known about the evolution of measles, this account is remarkably timely.

Measles is an endemic disease meaning it has been continually present in a community, and many people develop resistance. In populations not exposed to measles, exposure to a new disease can be devastating. In 1529, a measles outbreak in Cuba killed two-thirds of the natives who had previously survived smallpox. Two years later, measles was responsible for the deaths of half the population of Honduras, and had ravaged Mexico,Central America, and the Inca civilization.

In roughly the last 150 years, measles has been estimated to have killed about 200 million people worldwide. During the 1850s, measles killed a fifth of Hawaii s people. In 1875, measles killed over 40,000 Fijians, approximately one-third of the population. In the 19th century, the disease decimated the Andamanese population. In 1954, the virus causing the disease was isolated from an 11-year old boy from the United States, David Edmonston, and adapted and propagated on chick embryo tissue culture To date, 21 strains of the measles virus have been identified. While at Merck, Maurice Hilleman developed the first successful vaccine.Licensed vaccines to prevent the disease became available in 1963.

Measles continues to havoc in many districts of the province Sindh A World Health Organization (WHO) report cited that 210 children died at hands of measles in the province of Sindh. According to the statistics presented in the WHO report, 7,274 cases of measles were reported in the province. The report furthered that a campaign to curtail the epidemic was launched on a war footing from today (January 1) which would persist till January 9. The campaign will aim to vaccinate 2.9 million children to fight against measles while the government of Sindh has provided 1.3 million injections for the said purpose.

 Deaths were reported from Sindh’s Ghospur, Guddu and Tangwani regions. Moreover, 16 children had lost their lives in different areas of the province a day earlier — five died in Ghotki district, four in taluka Thull, three in Kandhkot city, two in taluka Tangwani and one each in Sukkur and Jacobabad districts. Also on 8 Jan 2013, the WHO said measles cases had surged in southern Pakistan in 2012, with hundreds of children dying of the disease.

The WHO did not give a reason for the increase in deaths, but a provincial health official said the disease-hit areas were the ones where poor families did not vaccinate their children. Maryam Yunus, a spokesperson for the WHO, Said that 306 children had died in Pakistan of measles in 2013, compared to 64 the year before. She said the jump was most pronounced in Sindh province, where measles killed 210 children in 2012.

After Anti-Measles Campaign,Measles are Killing our Innocent Child.Measles continues to havoc in many districts of the province Sindh.

Souces WHO,NEWS

Regards

Shoaib Habib Memon

Thatta-Sindh