BADIN, Feb 6: A child has died of measles and dozens of others are suffering from the disease which has spread in the Khabar Bhoot village, Tando Bago taluka.

As many as 23 children were infected with the disease in the last 48 hours and villagers feared that if medical teams were not dispatched to the village, the disease would grip the entire area.

Twelve-year-old Abdul Jabbar Bhoot died of the disease on Thursday. Seven of the infected children, Abdul Ghafoor, 10, Abdul Razzaq, 7, Mohammad Zaman, 12, Najma 8, Shahbaz Ali, 5, Hakimzadi, 4, and Ahmad, 7, are said to be in critical condition. The other children suffering from the disease include Mir Mohammad, 8, Jan Mohammad, 6, Nisar Ahmad, 8, Sahibzadi, 6, Bashir Ahmad, 5, Faqir Mohammad, 7, Qainat, 4, Kamran, 5, Habibullah, 6, Anees and Shakoor.

A villager, Ghulam Bhoot, told this correspondent that health authorities had been informed about the outbreak of the disease but no official had visited the village.

He said the disease was spreading fast in the village. A local doctor attributed the rise in cases of measles to a change in weather, use of contaminated water and polluted atmosphere.

The EDO, health, was not available for comments, however, on the directives of DCO Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, a team of doctors, comprising Dr Ibrahim Bhoot and Dr Mohammad Hanif, reportedly went to the village.

Meanwhile, villagers complained that their children had not been vaccinated against such diseases.