Child dies of measles in Jacobabad, soaring death toll to 47

KARACHI: A child died of measles in northern Sindh district of Jacobabad as an outbreak of the disease ongoing in the region, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The death toll of children by measles has reached to 47 in Jacobabad in last one-and-half month with fresh death of a three-year old , sources said.

Sindh health department seen to be lacking in action over the increasing number of infections and deaths in the area.

“Measles is a dangerous and deadly disease for children. Vaccination is the only safety for children against it,” health officials said.

According to experts, the respiratory disease is considered to be a highly virulent infection. Nearly 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children infected with measles are likely to die from respiratory and neurological complications.

Symptoms of the disease usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last upto 7–10 days.

Initial symptoms typically include fever, often above 40 °C (104 °F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. Small white spots may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms.

A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body begins three to five days after the start of symptoms.

Common complications include diarrhea, middle ear infection and pneumonia, which are major cause of deaths of children in measles.

Mothers who are immune to measles pass antibodies to their children while they are still in the womb, especially if the mother had acquired immunity through infection rather than vaccination.