City accelerates measles vaccination drive
“All clinics in the City of Ekurhuleni do provide vaccination against measles for children aged between six months and 15 years.”
The City of Ekurhuleni will accelerate its vaccination of children against measles.
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This follows the detection of 16 confirmed measles cases since the start of the year in the region.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through infectious airborne respiratory droplets from an infected person when coughing or sneezing.
Spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni Zweli Dlamini said the first measles cases in Gauteng were reported on December 6 at a single health facility in the Ekurhuleni health district.
“These three cases fell into the five to nine-year age group. All three of the children had an unknown vaccination status,” he said.
Dlamini added that the Gauteng Department of Health kick-started the measles vaccination campaign in Ekurhuleni on December 2.
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“Over 39 000 children have been vaccinated. The target is to immunise a million children between the ages of six months and 15 years.”
The measles vaccination campaign will see the city’s healthcare practitioners visit pre-schools, primary schools and high schools to administer the measles vaccines to the unvaccinated, targeted age groups.
“All clinics in the City of Ekurhuleni do provide vaccination against measles for children aged between six months and 15 years.”
Signs and symptoms of measles include the following:
• Flu-like symptoms such as high fever, coughing and sneezing
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye) and coryza (runny nose)
• Fatigue, muscle pain, and red maculopapular (blotchy) rash
“Children under one year of age may develop complicated measles including bronchopneumonia,
keratoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eyes), and rarely encephalitis (inflammation of the brain),” Dlamini said.
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He added that these complications may lead to irreversible damage or death, especially in immunocompromised or malnourished children.
According to the South African Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), children are given the measles vaccine at six months of age and a booster at 12 months.
“These vaccines are available free of charge at public health facilities.”
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