PUNJAB: ''Another life lost to measles''

One more measles patient breathed her last at a hospital in Faisalabad on Friday, taking the death toll till today to 181 including 84 in Lahore. Eisha, 9, lost her life at THQ Hospital Satiana, Faisalabad. As many as 159 measles patients were brought to different hospitals in the province including 30 in Lahore. So far 20,120 measles cases have been reported from across the province including 5,548 in Lahore. Meanwhile, Punjab Health Department has extended ongoing anti-measles vaccination campaign to another six districts. Now 16 million children of six months to ten years of age would be vaccinated in 18 districts. The spokesman of Health Department informed that from June 28, six districts have been included in the ongoing campaign. These districts are Sialkot, Narowal, Sargodha, Chiniot, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. According to an estimate 4 million children of these six districts would be vaccinated. The spokesman further informed that during the first four days of the anti-measles campaign the mobile teams of Health Department had so far vaccinated 5948082 children. This campaign would continue till July 7. During which preventive injection would also be inoculated to the children of primary schools of the said districts. Reply sought The Lahore High Court on Friday sought reply from the Punjab government and health department on an application seeking reason for its failure to cope with the measles outbreak. Justice Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Khan directed the two respondents to file their replies until July 10. Judicial Activism Panel chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique moved the application in his already pending constitutional petition against government failure to control measles epidemic. He submitted that the monster was on killing spree while the respondents were dragging feet over the matter. He submitted that the disease had spread across the province and had sent so many children to grave yard and deprived their parents in this regard from their off springs. He said that the reports in this regard were regularly printed being published in the national press but every day arose with another death of a child. He contended it was undoubtedly alarming that it is failure on part of the respondents to perform their duty rather it was also failure on part of the state to protect the citizens from the measles and failure to enforce fundamental rights specially right to life and right to the availability of medical facilities and precautionary measures in this regard before the outbreak of any disease. The petitioner pointed out the respondents were directed to file report especially health department that even knowing the causes of outbreak of the disease why they have failed to plan out strategy to curb and control the said disease. Even the international organizations like Unicef had already pointed out in this regard that the disease may cause destruction and damage to a large scale if precautionary the authorities concerned did not take measures. He requested the court to direct the health department to file comprehensive report as to why they had failed to control the epidemic.