Health experts link typhoid surge to lack of immunisation in Sindh

• Number of people infected with infectious diseases is soaring across Sindh.
• An estimated 174,818 children have been infected with typhoid this year in the province. 
• Naushero Feroze reported the highest number of typhoid cases this year.
  

Typhoid infection cases are increasing exponentially across Sindh, including Karachi, possibly due to a large number of children who are still not immunised against the infection, health experts told Geo News.

This year, an estimated 174,818 children were infected with typhoid across Sindh, with 15 children losing their lives to the infection.

According to sources, Naushero Feroze reported the highest number of typhoid cases, with 33,568 children under the age of 12 being infected. Meanwhile, 108 children in Karachi's District East were reported to have been infected.

The rising concern is that only 4,694 children are being treated in the hospital, sources said.

As for other cities of Sindh, five typhoid cases have been reported in Mirpur Khas, four in Tando Mohammad Khan, two in Jacobabad, and one each in Ghotki and Shikarpur. In Karachi, 11,342 typhoid cases among children were reported this year.

Health experts and the Pakistan Pediatric Association have expressed reservations regarding the government's Expanded Immunisation programme (EPI), claiming that a large number of children in the province have not received typhoid vaccination, contributing to the rapid surge in cases. 

Since schools reopened in Sindh, the number of cases has increased significantly, the report found. 

According to a health official, EPI coverage is increasing daily, and it is parents' responsibility to vaccinate their children for a better future. All necessary vaccines are available for free, and parents only need to bring their children to the nearest vaccination centre, the official said.