Health experts are calling for increased access to vaccinations to prevent the further spread of the measles outbreak.
With three new cases reported in Giyani, Limpopo, the number of cases in the measles outbreak has now increased to 15.
As three new cases of measles were reported in Giyani, the district meets the requirements for the declaration of an outbreak according to the World Health Organization.
While ages of patients in the Great Sekhukhune District range from babies to 24 years of age, the ages of those infected in the Mopani district ranged between 2 to 5 years.
In the great Sekhukhune District, three children were fully vaccinated, seven had unknown measles vaccination histories, and two children had not been vaccinated against measles.
Of the new cases, none were hospitalised.
Public health expert, Professor Susan Goldstein, says that while measles is a highly contagious disease it is preventable through vaccinations.
“Measles is very contagious, and this is why to prevent the spread of measles, we need very high immunisation rates. Unfortunately, measles immunisation rates dropped during COVID and had not returned to pre-COVID levels.”
Goldstein said that malnourished children were at greater risk of suffering fatal complications if they contracted measles.
“There are pockets of people who have not had their children vaccinated for whatever reason they may give, and this would put your child at risk.”
Goldstein said the health department had done little to communicate the benefits of vaccination to the public.
The symptoms of measles include the following:
- Fever
- Rash
- Cough
- Red eyes
- Runny nose
The virus can cause serious and life-threatening complications including pneumonia, diarrhoea, dehydration, encephalitis, blindness and death.
Measles complications are especially severe in malnourished children and those young infants under two years of age.
Source: Eyewitness News, Daily Maverick, IOL, image from Twitter: @channelafrica1
