This week You! takes a look at the recently-held 12-day comprehensive anti-measles campaign, carried out across the country to highlight the importance of measles vaccination...
health
This week You! takes a look at the recently-held 12-day comprehensive anti-measles campaign, carried out across the country to highlight the importance of measles vaccination...
The recent outbreak of measles in different areas of Pakistan has caused a wave of concern in the country. According to the Measles-Rubella Bulletin, in 2016, Pakistan tested 5,871 cases for measles, out of which 2,845 were confirmed positive. The incidence for the year 2016 was 16.06 per cent that went up to 36.67 per cent in 2017. While the official number of this year wasn’t stated, the scenario doesn’t look too optimistic.
With a view to control the increasing number of cases for measles, a 12-day comprehensive anti-measles campaign was carried out across the country recently. Last year, Pakistan Health and Population Strategic Forum conducted a meeting chaired by the then Federal Minister for National Health Services, Saira Afzal Tarar, to launch a nationwide anti-measles drive this year. To make this drive a success, Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) fully supported and actively participated in this campaign; by educating parents on the importance of vaccination against measles. In this regard, You! highlights this campaign and talks to prominent Paediatricians Dr Mumtaz Lakhani and Dr Khalid Shafi of PPA.
“Measles is a viral disease that has no cure. 292 children passed away due to measles across the country while 122 children were from the province of Sindh alone. Losing children to illnesses for which vaccines are available is a tragedy that could easily have been averted. Whether it is because of lack of awareness, or more immediate challenges dominating the headlines, or an increasingly sketchy healthcare cover in many parts of the country, many parents simply fail to have their children immunised against preventable illnesses. The state needs to take charge, and quickly!” Dr. Mumtaz Lakhani told the scribe.
“Heavy responsibility lies with the parents as they need to ensure vaccination of their children to avert any complications. At the same time, the medical fraternity also has the responsibility to create awareness among the masses through seminars, symposium and walks etc. If the parents are properly briefed about the benefits of the vaccination, their reluctance to administer it to their young ones can be alleviated,” he further added.
Associate Secretary General of PPA, Dr Khalid Shafi, informed, “During this nationwide drive, as many as 350 million children from the age of nine months to five years were inoculated with measles vaccines. Vaccination is the safest way to prevent children from getting measles, and we carried out this comprehensive campaign for this very purpose. However, for parents who missed it, we urge them to head to their nearest clinic or hospitals to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible. Prevention is certainly better than cure.”
Causes
Measles is caused by infection with the rubeola virus. The virus lives in the mucus of the nose and throat of an infected child or adult. The disease is contagious for 4 days before the rash appears, and it continues to be contagious for about 4 to 5 days after. This viral infection can be easily spread from person to person through saliva, by coughing, sneezing or being in close contact with an infected person. It can cause severe complications, including blindness, deafness, brain damage, pneumonia and even death. Children who go through this infection can remain malnourished for years and some can develop serious complication as well.
According to Dr Khalid, measles reduces a child’s ability to fight other diseases resulting in frequent illnesses. Measles deplete the body of Vitamin A, and any child who has contracted measles can develop problems such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and even blindness due to Vitamin A depletion as well as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) which can result in brain damage, hearing loss and even death. No specific treatment against measles is available since it is a viral infection. Therefore, vaccination is the only way to prevent the infection and related complications. He also stressed that since this infection can be fatal for children, two doses measles vaccine is supposed to be given to all children in their lives.
Signs & Symptoms
The signs and symptoms for measles appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. They typically include: fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis) and tiny white spots (with bluish-white centres on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek also called Koplik’s spots), and a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another.
The infection occurs in sequential stages over a period of two to three weeks:
Infection and incubation: For the first 10 to 14 days after you’re infected, the measles virus incubates. You have no signs or symptoms of measles during this time.
Nonspecific signs and symptoms: Measles typically begins with a mild to moderate fever, often accompanied by a persistent cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis) and sore throat. This relatively mild illness may last two or three days.
Acute illness and rash: The rash consists of small red spots, some of which are slightly raised. Spots and bumps in tight clusters give the skin a splotchy red appearance. The face breaks out first. Over the next few days, the rash spreads down the arms and trunk, then over the thighs, lower legs and feet. At the same time, the fever rises sharply, often as high as 104 to 105.8 F (40 to 41 C). The measles rash gradually recedes, fading first from the face and last from the thighs and feet.
Communicable period: A person with measles can spread the virus to others for about eight days, starting four days before the rash appears and ending when the rash has been present for four days.
