Impact of measles supplementary immunisation activity on health of children in district Rawalpindi

Objective: To evaluate the impact of measles supplementary immunization activity campaign of 2018 on children health and control of measles in district Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Methods: This prospective analytical case study was conducted at Allied teaching hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University Rawalpindi, from January 2019 to March 2019. One month to 10 years old children presenting with measles and its complications, were hospitalized and subsequently enrolled in the study. The measles cases presented during the study period were compared with the measles cases reported to the Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi medical university during the same time period in 2018.Data on the campaign implementation and measles surveillance was reviewed and analyzed by statistical methods using SPSS 22. Results: 53 cases of measles were reported during the study period (Jan-Mar 2019) compared to 405 cases in the same time period of 2018. Rapid coverage surveys showed that 98.09% of children were vaccinated during the campaign. From Jan to March 2019, after the campaign, the number of measles cases was reduced by 86.91% compared with the same period of 2018 with significant decrease in mortality and morbidity. Conclusions: A massive vaccination campaign approach for controlling measles in Rawalpindi with a vast migrant population has proved effective. Keywords: Measles, Audit, SIA, complications, outcomes, vaccination, Children

Measles in infants younger than 9 months of age:A descriptive analysis

Objective: To determine the frequency of measles and measles related complications in infants younger than 9 months of age.Methodology: A prospective observational study conducted in Department of Paediatrics Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from January to December 2018. A pre-designed study tool was used to collect data. A total number of 298 cases of less than 9 months of age that presented to the Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University with clinical diagnosis of measles were enrolled. The data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages.Results: Out of 298 cases, majority 62% (n=185) were reported from Benazir Bhutto hospital, Rawalpindi, while 36.5% (n=109) and 1.6% (n=5) cases were reported from Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi respectively. 57.4 % of the study population was male (n=171) while 42.6 % was female (n=127). Mean age was found to be 6.62 month (SD ±2.13) with median age of 07 months. Age distribution for age groups 1-3 months, 4-6 months and 7-9 months was found to be 11% (n=33), 31.3 % (n=93), and 57.7% (n=172) respectively. Conclusion: High numbers of infants under 9 months of age are affected by measles. Thirty per cent cases are complicated by pneumonia, gastroenteritis and otitis media

Measles in infants younger than 9 months of age:A descriptive analysis

Objective: To determine the frequency of measles and measles related complications in infants younger than 9 months of age.Methodology: A prospective observational study conducted in Department of Paediatrics Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from January to December 2018. A pre-designed study tool was used to collect data. A total number of 298 cases of less than 9 months of age that presented to the Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University with clinical diagnosis of measles were enrolled. The data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages.Results: Out of 298 cases, majority 62% (n=185) were reported from Benazir Bhutto hospital, Rawalpindi, while 36.5% (n=109) and 1.6% (n=5) cases were reported from Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi respectively. 57.4 % of the study population was male (n=171) while 42.6 % was female (n=127). Mean age was found to be 6.62 month (SD ±2.13) with median age of 07 months. Age distribution for age groups 1-3 months, 4-6 months and 7-9 months was found to be 11% (n=33), 31.3 % (n=93), and 57.7% (n=172) respectively. Conclusion: High numbers of infants under 9 months of age are affected by measles. Thirty per cent cases are complicated by pneumonia, gastroenteritis and otitis media

The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospital Visits and Admissions in Paediatric Department, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi

Objectives: To assess the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on hospital visits and admissions of non-COVID-19 patients in 2020 compared to 2019.Material and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in 2021 at the Department of Pediatrics, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi comparing the data of non-COVID-19 patients visits and admissions from January to December 2019 with non-COVID-19 patients visits and admissions from January to December 2020. The relevant data was retrieved from the Pediatric Department record on a pre-designed study questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS version-24 for descriptive statistics and analysis. Results: The total OPD visits in 2019 were 112682 patients compared to 63859 patients in 2020 showing a 43.33% reduction. The total number of patients who visited pediatric emergency were 80274 in 2019 and 41182 in 2020, showing a decline of 48.65%. There were a total of 6151 admissions in the paediatric ward in 2019 compared to 2778 admissions in 2020 recording a decline of 54.84%. The admissions in the Neonatal Unit were 5544 in 2019 and 3528 in 2020 with a reduction of 36.36%. The admissions in PICU in 2019 were 2685 and in 2020 the admissions decline to 2011 which is a 25.1% reduction.Conclusion: There was a significant decline in both hospital visits and admissions in 2020 compared to those in 2019

Pattern of Paediatric Mortality of hospitalized patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital Rawalpindi

Introduction: Mortality of children is the prime indicator of a country’s health status and its development. Understanding child mortality among different age groups is one of the valuable public health insights. Therefore, studies regarding child mortality patterns are essential for re-evaluating existing health services. Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the pattern of paediatric mortality in our hospital. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was done with the medical records of Pediatric patients (up to 12 years)who died in the Pediatrics department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1stJan2018 to 31stDec 2018. Results: A total of 15,500 children were admitted to the Paediatric department from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2018. A total of 1738 deaths were recorded. The overall mortality of 11.3% was noted in the cases admitted to the Paediatric Department. Conclusion: Septicemia, Acute respiratory infection(ARI)/Pneumonia, Birth asphyxia, and low birth weight (LBW)/prematurity were the major causes of pediatrics mortality

An Evaluation of Haematological Changes in Paediatric Dengue Fever Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital Rawalpindi During 2019 Outbreak

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the hematological parameters of patients with dengue fever in order to increase the sensitivity of screening for early diagnosis and as an aid to the early institution of appropriate treatment. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Peadiatrics Department Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi for a period of 6 months from July 2019 to December 2019. Results: During the study period of 6 months, 438 dengue serology-positive children were admitted, amongst which 254 were male (58%), and 184 were female (42%). The children's age ranged from 1 month to 12 years, with a mean age of 8.03 years (SD + 3.13 years). Out of 438 children, 254 (58%) were uncomplicated dengue fever (DF), 119 children (27%) developed dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). 65 children (15%) went into dengue shock syndrome (DSS). The predominant findings in the complete blood picture (CBC) were Thrombocytopenia (80.1%) and leucopenia (65.1%). Normal leucocyte count was seen in 59 cases (13.68%). Thrombocytopenia (platelets less than 100,000) was seen in 351 patients (80.1%) out of which 30 cases (6.9%) had a platelet count less than 50,000. Leukopenia was found in 285 (65.1%) patients. Most of the patients were positive for NS1 (70.3%). IgM was positive in 62.1% and IgG was positive in 14.8%. Enteric Fever as co-infection was found in 30(6.8%) children. Conclusion: Careful assessment and interpretation of hematological changes in dengue patients allow early diagnosis and institution of appropriate treatment