LARKANA: While measles cases are beginning to show signs of decline at the Chandka Medical College (CMC) Children’s Hospital, healthcare professionals have attributed the recent surge to poor vaccination coverage, widespread malnutrition, a lack of breastfeeding and low public awareness.

Prof Dr Shanti Lal, the head of the hospital, stated that 898 measles cases were admitted through emergency care at the Child Health Foundation (CHF) over a three-month period from March to May. Following initial filtering at the CHF, patients were transferred to the main wards. Providing a breakdown, Dr Lal noted that March and May saw an equal number of cases (304 each), while 290 cases were recorded in April. Outpatient department (OPD) data indicated an additional average of 150 cases per month.

Hospital sources revealed that a National Institute of Health (NIH) report confirmed measles cases have emerged from almost every union council in the region. Dr Mahek Unnar, the District Health Office surveillance officer for the children’s hospital, told Dawn that patients arrived from Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Mehar (Dadu), Qambar-Shahdadkot and parts of Balochistan. Qambar-Shahdadkot district recorded the highest number of cases, she said.

Poor vaccination coverage, malnutrition seen as main reasons for recent surge

Dr Lal observed that 50 per cent of the children presenting at the OPD were unimmunised, while the remaining half had received incomplete doses. He emphasised that male and female children were equally affected, with an average age of three years, adding that comprehensive Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) coverage would drastically reduce transmissions.

The crisis is compounded by severe co-morbidities. Two measles patients currently admitted to the nutrition ward — one from Qambar and another from Dadu — have also tested positive for HIV. Doctors noted that the vast majority of cases referred through the CHF had a history of “zero” vaccine doses.

To handle the influx of critically ill children, the newly established Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) at the CMC Children’s Hospital has set up a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Imran Bhutto, the incharge of the facility, stated on Saturday that the specialised unit and its dedicated staff have provided critical relief to the region.

Data from the SICHN indicated that 183 measles cases were treated at its facility between April and June. During a visit to the ICU on Saturday, the unit was undergoing fumigation, with patients temporarily moved to an isolation ward. Hospital sources disclosed that four critically ill children who are co-infected with HIV are currently receiving treatment at the facility.

Medical staff across both institutions agreed that while the outbreak peaked between April and May, numbers began falling in June. Health workers have urged the authorities to launch an intensive vaccination campaign for measles, similar to anti-polio drives, warned that a lack of breastfeeding remains a significant risk factor for contraction.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2026