KARACHI: Immunization of children for measles stressed
KARACHI, Dec. 24: Experts, reminding public that a mini-epidemic of measles is registered every third year in the city, have recommended Igm (antibodies) assessment of all suspected cases of the disease.
Doctors cited measles not only to be an acute illness causing death and complication but also referred to its long-term impact as post-measles diarrhoea, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, encephalitis, reactivation of tuberculosis and blindness due to vitamin-A deficiency and malnutrition.
“It is, therefore, imperative to protect children at the youngest possible age,” Dr. Mubina Agboatwala, a senior paediatrician, said, adding the true impact of measles virus infection is much greater than is actually recognized in the number of acute deaths generally attributed to measles, making control of disease an even greater priority.
To a query, they did acknowledge that chicken pox and skin allergies were also somehow wrongly but quite frequently inferred as measles.
However, as a precautionary measure and to avoid any unexpected outbreak of measles, during the peak season beginning from January, parents were advised to ensure that all children up to five years of age are immunized against the disease.
Head of the Paeds Department Unit-I of Civil Hospital Karachi, Prof. Iqbal Memon, with reference to current practice of immunizing local children against measles at the age of nine months or so, suggested provision for two dosages. First on attaining the age of seven months and repeating the same after six months, that is at the age of 13 months.
Measles vaccines are prerequisite for all children around the world, at least once in a life-time and these turn all the more necessary and also more than once in countries, like Pakistan which are endemic to it, the paediatrician said.
Keeping in view the public perception towards mass immunization against six diseases targeted by the Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI), Dr. Shamsunisa Ansari urged local parents that all children below five are provided across the board booster against measles, to avoid any serious situation during the forthcoming season.
All doctors were also unanimous in their opinion that each child suspected for measles be necessarily tested for antibodies Igm, which is produced in the early stages of measles.
Mentioning cough, pneumonia and malnutrition as the most common manifestation of the disease, she reminded that children inflicted with measles are generally not brought to hospitals as it is conventionally accepted that no medication is required for the disease and every child had to suffer from it sooner or later.
It is only if and when the children suffering from measles develop complications that hospitals are approached, Dr. Agboatwala said.
According to her, in case incidence rate of measles, owing to any reason is found to be high, the government must initiate a “mopping up exercise”.
Under the strategy, all children belonging to neighbouring areas of the sites where any case of measles might have been detected be immed ately vaccinated against the ailment.
Those from the effected areas will get afflicted at one or the other point of time and there should be adequate provision for administering Vitamin A capsules to them, reverting risks of their getting partially or even totally blind besides death.—APP
