Measles outbreak reported in five provinces
Any suspected measles case should be reported to the Department of Health
A measles outbreak, which could hamper many holidays this festive season, has been reported in five provinces.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases there has been an increase in laboratory-confirmed (IgM positive) measles cases in five provinces the past two months.
These provinces are Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and Western Cape).
Sporadic laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been noted in two additional provinces, the Eastern Cape and Free State). No laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been reported from Limpopo and Northwest provinces during 2014 to date.
According to the institute the Northern Cape Province is reporting the highest increase, with five laboratory-confirmed measles cases detected within a four-week period in Siyanda District Municipality alone. Siyanda District borders both Namibia and Botswana and of concern is that Namibia has recently reported an increase in measles cases from certain districts.
The Northern Cape Provincial Department of Health initiated an outbreak investigation in Siyanda District, and are implementing public health responses to curb the outbreak.
Any suspected measles case should be reported to the Department of Health immediately. A blood sample must be collected and sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for measles serology testing.
Notification should occur based on a clinical suspicion of measles, and must not be delayed pending results of measles diagnostic tests. This enables the Department of Health to timeously follow up all suspected measles cases and offer measles vaccination to contacts.
What to look out for:
A fever of 38°C and higher
Rash
One of the three Cs: cough, coryza or conjunctivitis
