Vaccinate children against deadly measles, families urged

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) reports an increase in suspected measles cases in the country this year.

Meanwhile, doctors describe the disease as deadly and urge families to ensure their children receive measles vaccine without any delay.

According to doctors, measles is a highly contagious disease that primarily affects children. The measles virus is transmitted either through airborne particles from sneezing and coughing or through direct contact with nasal and oral secretions from infected individuals.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, runny nose, pneumonia, red eyes, loss of appetite, skin rashes, sore throat, and white spots inside the mouth.

6,000 cases of measles recorded this year: MoPH

Dr. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for MoPH, said, “In the first eleven months of this year, 10,250 measles tests were conducted, of which approximately 6,000 cases were confirmed positive.”

He added, “As measles is a contagious viral disease, the incidence of this disease sometimes spikes in Afghanistan.”

Without revealing the number of cases last year, he said that this year, the number of suspected cases had increased compared to the previous year.

He explained, “This year, around six thousand cases have been recorded. In the coming months, we plan to conduct a national measles vaccination campaign. By doing so, we will be able to prevent further spread of the disease.”

Dr. Sharafat urged citizens to take their children to health centers if they notice symptoms of measles and to isolate infected children from healthy ones.

He also added that although supplementary vaccination campaigns have been conducted in the past, “In 2025, we also plan to vaccinate 16 million children under the age of ten.”

He added that measles vaccination is provided daily at all health centers as part of the national immunization program.

Doctors: Avoid self-medication for children suffering from measles.

Dr. Saifullah Abasin, a specialist trainer at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Health Institute in Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News that measles was a viral disease that spread from infected individuals to healthy ones and primarily affected children. “If left untreated or if complications arise, it can lead to death, particularly among children under the age of five”.

The source explained that measles could affect individuals at any time of the year. Dr. Abasin said, “When a child has a fever or any other illness, they should be properly nourished and given fluids to prevent the severity of the disease.”

However, many children suffer from malnutrition as their immune system weakens and they lose body fluids.”

Dr. Abasin pointed out harmful practices where families often wrap children in blankets when they are sick. He said, “We often see cases in hospital where a child is wrapped in two or three blankets, which causes excessive sweating, loss of energy, and can lead to other illnesses such as pneumonia, neurological problems, or ear infections.”

He emphasised that when a child is infected with measles, efforts should be made to isolate them from other healthy children at home, as the disease spreads rapidly.

Regarding measles vaccination, Dr. Abasin noted that in every clinic, in addition to other vaccines, measles vaccine is also available, and children should be vaccinated on time.

He added, “If a mother receives vaccines on time before pregnancy, measles will not easily affect the child, and she can pass immunity to her child.”

He added that many parents either think vaccines are not beneficial or forget to vaccinate their children, which contributes to the rise in measles cases.

Dr. Abasin said, “Children with mild symptoms receive medication, but if there are complications, we admit them to the hospital. We admit 8 to 10 patients daily.”

Meanwhile, Asifa, a resident of Kapisa province, whose one-and-a-half-year-old daughter is currently hospitalized at the Indira Gandhi Children’s hospital due to measles, shared her experience.

“My daughter has had a high fever and has been very sick. I took her to the clinic twice, but no medicine worked, and they did not even realize it was measles. Now I brought her here, and she has been admitted. I don’t know how many days she will remain hospitalized.”

She expressed satisfaction with the services at the hospital, but asked doctors to pay more attention to such children.

Similarly, Sher Ahmad, a resident of Parwan province, whose child also suffered from measles, shared his concern. “My child’s body developed red rashes, and he became very restless. I brought him to the hospital, and the doctors admitted him.”

He also called for more attention from doctors towards measles patients.

sa/ma

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