The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that it is starting a large measles vaccination campaign targeting 2.9 million children in eight districts of Sindh as an emergency response to the outbreak in the province.
“Measles campaign has been planned upto 9th Jan, 2013 for eight districts in Sindh; Sukkur, Khairpur, Larkana, Qamber-Shadadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Ghotki and Kashmore”, the WHO representative in Pakistan, Dr. Guido Sabatinelli, said in a statement.
“A total of 1,300,000 vaccine doses have been dispatched by the national authorities to the 8 districts,” he stated.
About the immunisation in Pakistan, he said “Pakistan’s routine immunisation coverage is close to 65 per cent with only some important cities recording a better performance”.
Measles continued claiming children lives across the country as the toll reached to the horrible number of 222.
According to details, at least 18 more children died of the disease in Sindh province within 24 hours. The cities from where the cases were reported included Kandhkot, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Noshehroferoz, Khairpur and others.