Measles outbreak: 47 new infections in Gauteng, 8 in Pretoria
“It is imperative that childhood vaccinations are kept up to date, especially for children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years," Tshwane metro warns.
The Gauteng health department has confirmed 47 measles infections in the province.
The patients were located in the following metros:
– Ekurhuleni 33
– Johannesburg 5
– Tshwane 8
– West Rand 1
Tshwane MMC for health Rina Marx said the metro was monitoring the newly confirmed patients closely and 17 dated back to May last year.
Marx said the national health department recommended the vaccination of children from six months to 15 years old to combat the outbreak.
“Tshwane’s health department has noted with concern three new laboratory confirmed cases of measles in Tshwane.”
Marx said on February 1 and 2, a five-year-old girl from New Eersterus and a nine-year-old boy from Olievenhoutbosch were confirmed to have contracted measles.
“As per standard practice, once a case is confirmed, the Tshwane outbreak response teams begin conducting targeted measles vaccinations.”
She said earlier this year, a 14-year-old boy from Soshanguve confirmed a patient.
“The 14-year-old was detected on January 25, 2023 and immediately received healthcare.”
Marx said as of February 2023, 177 594 measles vaccinations had been administered in Tshwane.
“Unfortunately, this only constitutes 19% of the targeted number of children below the age of 15 years.”
She said this could have been the result of the vaccinations not being mandatory.
“The health department strongly advises parents to use this opportunity to protect their children. Apart from the ongoing school vaccination programme, parents and caregivers can also take children to their nearest health facility for vaccination.”
She said measles was a highly contagious and potentially deadly but preventable disease.
Symptoms to watch out for are as follows:
– Fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis (red eyes) and a runny nose.
– Measles complications can include diarrhoea, dehydration, brain infection, blindness and death.
– Serious complications can occur in infants and malnourished children.
“I would like to assure our residents that the situation is being closely monitored. It is imperative that childhood vaccinations are kept up to date, especially for children between the ages of six months and 15 years.”
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