KARAK/SWAT: Measles has killed two children and affected dozens others in remote Koh-i-Maidan area of Takht-i-Nusrati tehsil.
Local people demanded of the district health department to send medical teams to the area to overcome the situation.
They said that two children identified as Nasir Iqbal, 2, and Kausar, had died of the disease during last few days.
They added that so far the district health department had not provided any medical help to the people of the remote area.
They demanded that special medical teams should be sent to the area to treat the affected children.
In Swat, a two-week-long vaccination campaign would be started from tomorrow (Monday) to vaccinate about 653,135 children against measles and 368,437 against polio.
According to Dr Rahmat Elahi, EPI district coordinator, all arrangements had been finalised for starting the immunisation drive.
He said that 303 teams were being set up to carry out the campaign. Mr Elahi said that about 0.65 million children from six months to 10 years of age would be vaccinated against measles.
He added that social mobilisers would visit houses in their respective areas, where they would only administer anti-polio drops to children below six months of age.
He said that parents of children above six months had been advised to get their children vaccinated in camps, which will be set up at village or Mohala level across the district.
Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2014
