Six children of a family die of measles in Matiari

MATIARI: In a tragic incident, six children of a family died of measles in the suburbs of Matiari, ARY News reported on Saturday.

According to the details, more than four children in the village are still affected by measles, causing concerns among the residents.

The children who lost their lives and those who are affected are all from one family.

Earlier, four children including an infant died of measles in Shikarpur, taking the death toll to 12 during the past two months in the district.

The deceased children included nine-month-old Uzma Khoso, three-year-old Nasser, Waqar, and Shahida. It seemed that deceased measles turned out to be a fatal epidemic due to the non-vaccination of children as 12 children lost their lives in Shikarpur alone in the last two months.

Over 180 children have been brought to the civil hospital in Shikarpur with similar symptoms since January 2024.

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

Sindh’s health minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho had earlier said that a special vaccination campaign is being run in the areas with several measles cases.

In a statement, Azra Pechuho said that a vaccine drive started from May 13 to 25 for typhoid vaccination. “In Sindh 8.9 million children of six months to 15 years’ age vaccinated for typhoid immunization”.

Measles cases have been increasing across most regions mainly due to missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 years when health systems were overwhelmed and fell behind on routine vaccinations for preventable diseases.