Kathmandu, March 14 (IANS). Measles outbreak has increased in Baglung district of Nepal. Many children had to be admitted to hospital. The outbreak began in Malangwa Municipality, Sarlahi District in January and reached Dhorpatan Municipality about 10 days ago. Now this infection has also spread to neighboring rural municipalities Nishikhola and Badigarh. Local media has given this information.
As of Thursday, 83 people from Dhorpatan—mostly children above 10 years of age—have been found infected and the number of patients coming for treatment is continuously increasing, The Kathmandu Post quoted health officials as saying.
Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, head of the vaccination section of the Family Welfare Division, said that now the disease has spread to Nisikhola and Badigad rural municipalities. He said many infected patients suffering from high fever have been admitted to hospital, some of whom have also developed pneumonia as a complication of measles.
He said that a child has been referred to Gandaki Medical College in critical condition.
According to health officials posted in Dhorpatan, the disease has spread rapidly in wards 7, 8 and 9 of the municipality. Bhumishwar Sharma, public health officer working in Dhorpatan Municipality, said that 11 children suffering from high fever and other complications have been admitted to Burtibang Hospital, while six other children are being treated at the local health centre.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through droplets from the nose and mouth of an infected person. This disease can also be fatal for unvaccinated people. To prevent measles, a two-dose vaccine is given to children at the age of 9 months and 15 months.
Health officials say this is the fourth outbreak in Nisikhola in the last two months, which makes it clear that the spread of the virus has not yet been controlled. Infants as young as nine months of age have also been found infected, while the vaccination status of most infected children is unclear.
According to experts, the lack of vaccination in the last decade could also be a major reason for this rapidly spreading infection.
Meanwhile, the government has started the vaccination campaign in Dhorpatan Municipality from Friday. Under this campaign, there is a plan to vaccinate about 7,000 children aged 10 to 19 years. Besides, preparations are also being made to run the vaccination campaign in Nisikhola and Badigad. For this, the government has also requested the Measles and Rubella Partnership for emergency vaccine supply.
Experts say that due to low vaccination coverage, lack of awareness, migrant population and laxity of the government system, measles outbreaks occur from time to time in the country.
Nepal had set a target to eliminate measles by 2026, as no major outbreaks were recorded after June 2023. However, recent infections in Baglung and Sarlahi have negatively impacted the country’s progress towards achieving this goal.
According to doctors, the initial symptoms of measles appear 10-12 days after infection, which include high fever, runny nose, redness of the eyes and cough. The disease can be especially dangerous for young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
–IANS
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