At least 40 children have died of measles in Sindh this year, according to the provincial health department, raising alarm over gaps in vaccination coverage.

Officials said 1,183 children are currently infected with the highly contagious disease across the province.

Health experts have attributed the surge to low immunisation rates, with some parents reluctant to vaccinate their children despite repeated campaigns.

Dr Khalid Shafi, a child health specialist, stressed that vaccination remains the only effective protection against measles, adding that authorities had carried out door-to-door awareness drives last September.

Cases have been rising steadily since February, he noted.

The provincial government had launched a 13-day measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaign from November 17 to 29 last year, offering free vaccines to children aged six months to five years in all 30 districts of Sindh.

Nationwide, health authorities aimed to vaccinate around 35 million children under the same campaign.

Measles and rubella spread through respiratory droplets and can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.