Kathmandu, March 31 -- Nisikhola and Badigad Rural Municipalities of Baglung district reported a measles outbreak around a month ago but vaccination against the disease has not started yet, raising fear of further spread.

Health officials admit that the government neither has vaccines in stock for outbreak response nor a plan to start vaccination immediately.

"We don't have measles vaccines in stock for outbreak response," said Dr Abhiyan Gautam, chief of the Immunisation Section at the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services. "We used doses from the routine immunisation programme to vaccinate vulnerable children in the disease-hit areas of Malangawa and Dhorpatan. But we cannot continue diverting vaccines purcha...