Measles kills 18 in Southern Thailand

At least 2,280 people were infected and 18 killed by Measles in the mainly Muslim border provinces in the south of Thailand this year. The largest group affected were young children up to the age of four. “Measles vaccination is free and is in line with Islamic principles,” Songkhla’s public-health chief Utissak Harirattanakul said yesterday, […]

000_EF6SB-scaled.jpg

In this photograph taken on July 14, 2016 an Indian medic performs a blood check up for 62 year-old asthma sufferer Mohan Lal, on the Swasthya Slate at a clinic in his neighbourhood in the slums of New Delhi. For asthma sufferer Mohan Lal, regular visits to the Indian capital's hospitals were a nightmare of waiting in endless queues in sweltering corridors that swarm with mosquitoes. But a spotless and air-conditioned clinic boasting innovative diagnostic technology and sharply-dressed doctors has just opened in Lal's neighbourhood, bringing healthcare into the 21st century. / AFP PHOTO / CHANDAN KHANNA / TO GO WITH AFP STORY: 'India-Health-Technology' FEATURE by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA

November 22, 2018

At least 2,280 people were infected and 18 killed by Measles in the mainly Muslim border provinces in the south of Thailand this year.

The largest group affected were young children up to the age of four.

“Measles vaccination is free and is in line with Islamic principles,” Songkhla’s public-health chief Utissak Harirattanakul said yesterday, as he tried to encourage Muslim parents to get their children vaccinated against the highly communicable disease.

In a move to downplay locals’ concerns the vaccine may be haram (forbidden in Islam), Utissak said both the Sheikhul Islam Office and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s legal team had approved the measles vaccine.

Common symptoms of the measles virus, which can be fatal in severe cases, are fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, conjunctivitis and tiny white spots with bluish-white centres on a red background, also called Koplik’s spots, in the inner lining of the cheek.

Utissak urged parents to immediately take their child to the doctor if they develop any measles-like symptoms.

“Young kids should avoid known infected areas, and patients should be quarantined,” he said.

In Songkhla, one of the four southern border provinces, measles has hit 203 patients and killed one.

Earlier this week, Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre’s deputy secretary-general Somkiat Phonprayoon told relevant officials to go on a door-to-door campaign in the deep South to vaccinate children against measles. He said efforts must cover schools, as all children below the age of 12 must be vaccinated.

Somkiat said officials must explain to community and religious leaders the necessity for locals to have the right understanding of the vaccine.

Yala’s public-health chief Songkran Maichum said the number of measles infections in his province has already dropped due to serious campaigning.

“We have vaccinated up to 94 per cent of local children so far and hope to bring the number up to 95 per cent soon,” he said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

scroll to top