National
Banke kids at risk of contracting measles
Many children in Banke are at risk of catching measles, health workers have warned, saying the disease could reach epidemic proportions.Many children in Banke are at risk of catching measles, health workers have warned, saying the disease could reach epidemic proportions.
Chakra Bahadur Khadka, a health inspector at the District Public Health Office (DPHO), said seven percent of children are yet to be immunised in the district.
“Children in large numbers are yet to be vaccinated and hence are at risk of measles,” said Khadka.
There are around 70,000 children under the age of 15 in the district. Two children had died of measles in Bardiya recently, stoking fears of measles outbreak among Banke health workers.
Four children had died at Somdiha VDC in Kapilvastu district of an infection symptoms of which were like those of measles. Symptoms of measles were seen in another 25 children, who had developed skin rashes and are said to be suffering from fever and
diarrhoea. Health workers, however, claimed that the disease was under control in Kapilvastu. Health workers in Banke said they are planning to organise an immunisation campaign targeting the children who had missed vaccination earlier.
Most of the children of Muslim and Madhesi communities in Nepalgunj sub-metropolis are yet to be immunised. According to health posts, their parents often
tend not to bring their children to immunisation campaigns “in the name of culture and religion”.
The DPHO has been seeking help of religious leaders as well during immunisation campaigns, but there still lacks awareness among the general public, especially from Muslim and Madhesi communities, about the life-saving vaccines and their benefits.
The DPHO has said it is going to launch the first phase of Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the district from February 7.