Overview
- Health officials and pediatricians report more than 2,000 measles cases in Sindh this year and 53 child deaths linked to the outbreak.
- National figures cited by local reporting put Pakistan’s child death toll at 96 with thousands of suspected cases and several thousand laboratory confirmations.
- Doctors attribute the surge largely to gaps in routine vaccination, saying many children were not given the first and second measles doses on schedule.
- Measles is highly contagious and starts with fever, cough, runny nose and a rash; severe cases can cause pneumonia, brain swelling or immune suppression that can be fatal.
- Medical professionals are urging immediate steps to restore routine immunization, run targeted vaccination drives, boost community outreach and strengthen surveillance to stop further deaths.