PESHAWAR: In response to the measles outbreak in the province, Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah on Sunday issued directives to the Director Expanded Program on Immunization to provide an immediate report on the outbreak situation.
Minister Shah has appealed to parents to promptly vaccinate their children against measles. He has instructed for immediate measures to be taken on emergency grounds to control the outbreak.
Directives have been issued to establish isolation wards in MTI (Medical Teaching Institutions) hospitals to prevent the spread of measles.
Minister Shah has further instructed the Director General Health Services to activate vaccination centres by removing vaccinators from the disposal of Medical Superintendent to be placed under the supervision of the District Health Officer.
Additionally, immediate instructions have been issued to form a Provincial Outbreak Control Committee.
Dr. Aarif, Director EPI, provided an urgent briefing to Health Minister Shah regarding the measles outbreak.
The briefing was attended by Director General Health Services Dr Shaukat Ali, Director Public Health Dr Irshad Roghani and other relevant authorities.
In the briefing, it was highlighted that under the Birth Dose Initiative, vaccination centres have been established in hospitals along with labor rooms.
Over the past two years, more than one lakh newborns have been vaccinated in these centres operating 24/7.
It was revealed that there have been 3,889 suspected cases and 1,445 confirmed cases of measles registered in the province. Out of the 22 deaths reported in the past six months, measles has been confirmed in 13 cases. Children between the ages of two to five years are the most affected.
The Director EPI informed that an outbreak response is underway in 118 Union Councils of the province’s 24 districts.
The districts most affected include DI Khan with 185, Peshawar with 147, Charsadda with 113, Swabi with 92, and Lower Dir with 83 cases registered respectively.