Karachi: At least 88 children died from measles, diphtheria and tetanus in Sindh during the first eight months of 2026, while 3,123 confirmed measles cases and 53 outbreaks were reported across 15 districts of the province.
According to data obtained from the Sindh Health Department and the World Health Organization, 63 children died from measles, 20 from diphtheria and five from tetanus during the period.
Khairpur recorded the highest number of deaths, followed by Dadu and Larkana in second place.
Karachi East, Sukkur and Thatta ranked third in terms of reported deaths, followed by Badin and Shikarpur in fourth place and Matiari in fifth.
The figures also revealed significant gaps in measles vaccination among infected children.
Among confirmed measles cases, 55% of children aged nine months or above had not received even a single dose of the measles vaccine.
During the first eight months of the year, Sindh recorded 3,123 confirmed measles cases, along with 57 cases of diphtheria and 20 cases of tetanus.
A total of 53 measles outbreaks were also confirmed across 15 districts of the province during the same period.
According to figures from the Sindh Health Department and WHO, 8,032 suspected measles cases were reported across the province between January 4 and August 8, 2026.
Of these suspected cases, 3,123 were confirmed, raising concerns over the spread of measles and vaccination coverage among children across Sindh.
The figures have also raised questions over claims of 100% performance by district health officers during the measles vaccination campaign, prompting calls for an independent assessment of the reported coverage.
