Measles claims five in Amreli

Bhatt said he and senior officers of the Health Department had visited the area to ensure that all steps were taken to control the disease. The local office of the UNICEF had also given assistance for the purpose.

The Minister said that many villagers, under the influence of superstitions, did not give medicine to affected children. Therefore, the Government had mobilised anganwadi workers to educate the people. The matter was raised during zero hour by Purshottam Roopala of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Meanwhile, reports from Rajkot said the situation was grim in Khambha region of the Bhavnagar and Amreli districts.

Sources revealed that 60-odd villages in the area had reported an average of 60 cases each, and added that though the area was susceptible to measles and reported a few cases every year, the outbreak this time was alarming.

The high incidence is being attributed to the lack of awareness with people associating the disease to certain misconceptions and centuries-old beliefs and not willing to take precautionary measures or medicines.

Measles does not cause death. It is the post-measles bronchial disorders which may prove fatal.

In Amreli district, teams of health officials had been sent to the 12 worst-hit villages in the Khambha and Barada areas.

The UNICEF offered Rs 5 lakh to fight the spread of measles in Saurashtra after UNICEF representative M Murlitharan, the health commissioner and other health officials surveyed the area.

As a precautionary measure all anganwadis have been closed till further notice and alternative arrangements have been made to provide food to children there.

Meanwhile, reports said a few lions, which stray into villages bordering the forests in the two districts, died mysteriously. Forest officials had camped in jungles and started a thorough examination of the carcasses to ascertain the cause of the death.