Measles outbreak kills five children in Lower Dir as dozens more fall ill

Five children aged between two and seven have died in a measles outbreak in the remote and mountainous villages of Ghora Banda and Khora Banda in Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, leaving dozens more infected, The Express Tribune reports from Timergara.

Many other children in the isolated localities have developed the classic symptoms of the highly contagious disease, including high fever, a widespread rash and severe difficulty in breathing. The affected children have been shifted to different hospitals in the district, where they are receiving treatment under the supervision of health staff.

As soon as reports of the deaths and rising cases reached the district administration, Deputy Commissioner Lower Dir Basharat Ahmad and the District Health Officer proceeded to the affected areas on an emergency footing. The deputy commissioner met the bereaved families, offered his condolences and assured them the administration would provide every possible assistance during this difficult time.

State news agency APP reported on Saturday that the outbreak struck Ghawara Banda, a border area near Afghanistan, and that District Health Officer Sher Khan Afridi stressed the importance of vaccinating children on time against measles, polio and other preventable diseases.

Dawn reported earlier this year that 71 children across Pakistan died of measles in the first four months of 2026, 40 of them in Sindh, as the Pakistan Medical Association raised concern over the large number of “zero-dose” children who have not received even a single vaccine dose.