When parents first hear that their child has some kind of disease, they may wonder what they could have done to prevent it.
They not only spend thousands of rupees on the treatment, but also go through a lot of mental agony when their loved ones are afflicted
with fatal diseases, which can also take a toll on their children''s lives. These feelings are very common with parents. However, immunisation against diseases like measles can get rid of the major threat. Last month, a seventeen-day anti-Measles campaign was carried out during which millions of children from nine months to under the age of 13 were immunised. You! takes a look... "Measles can result in death if the child is not immunised in time. There is no specific treatment for measles; only an appropriate dose of the vaccine can prevent this disease. Each year an estimated 2.1 million cases of measles occur in Pakistan, resulting in 21,000 children dying from measles - to be precise 58 children per day," said Dr. Salma Kauser Ali, Programme Manager of Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) Sindh, while giving out the details of anti-measles campaign. "The most important thing you can do to protect your kids from measles is to have them vaccinated according to the schedule prescribed by the child specialist. Infants are generally protected from measles for six to eight months after birth due to the immunity passed on from their mothers. After nine months, the child is more likely to get measles. Generally, for most kids, the measles vaccine is part of the measles-mumps-rubella immunisations (MMR) given at the ages of 12 to 15 months
and again at four to six years," informed Dr. Salma.
The measles campaign, unlike the polio campaigns, did not involve vaccination teams going house-to-house.However, it was ensured that vaccination teams immunise children in all the schools. Children not enrolled in schools were also brought to the health facility or outreach centre. Giving details of the campaign, Dr. Salma said that around 13.60 million children - nine months to 13 years old - from across the province of Sindh, excluding Dadu district, were covered during the 17 days exercise. She also said that all private and public schools and community centres were declared as ''Static Centres'' where students, falling in the identified age group were vaccinated against the disease.
"Measles, also known as rubeola, is a highly contagious, but rare, respiratory infection that''s caused by a virus. The first symptoms of the infection are usually severe coughing, sneezing, runny nose, high fever, watery red eyes and full-body rash. The patient/child can spread the virus droplets through air and infect others. Another indication of measles is the small red spots with blue-white centres that appear inside the mouth," explained paediatrician Dr. Sadiq Mirza. About the treatment of measles, he said, "Since it is caused by a virus, symptoms typically go away on their own without medical treatment once the virus has run its course. But a child who is sick should receive plenty of fluids and rest. Measles vaccine occasionally causes side effects in kids who don''t have any underlying health problems. After vaccination, in about 10 per cent of the cases the measles vaccine causes a fever between five and 12 days and in about five per cent of cases the vaccine causes a rash, which isn''t contagious and usually fades away on its own. The symptoms of measles usually last for about two weeks." Measles vaccine should not be given to pregnant women, or kids with active tuberculosis, leukaemia, lymphoma, or people whose immune systems are suppressed for some reason. A child who is diagnosed with measles should be closely monitored for fever and other symptoms to detect any complications. In some cases, measles can lead to other health problems, such as infections like bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, myocarditis, and encephalitis. The dlso make the sceptible to ear infections or other health problems caused by the bacteria. If fever is making your child more uncomfortable, you may want to give a non-aspirin fever medication prescribed by a doctor. Remember, you should never give aspirin to a child who has a viral illness since the use of aspirin in such cases has been associated with the development of Reye syndrome. As with any viral infection, give a lot of clear fluids like water, fruit juices and tea to your child. These will help replace bodily fluids that your child loses in the heat and sweating of fever episodes. Use a cool-mist vaporiser to relieve the cough and to soothe breathing passages. Kids with measles should get extra rest to help them recover. It''s usually safe for a child to return to school after the fever and rash is completely gone. "Mild fever, rash and swelling could be noticed in some of the vaccinated kids but these will be insignificant with no chances of any serious side effects," clarified Dr. Sadiq He also advised mothers to consult the doctor immediately if one suspects that the child has measles. It is very important to keep track of your child''s temperature. Let the doctor know if your child has an earache, since this may be the sign of an infection