Measles outbreak: 79 confirmed cases in Mpumalanga
Parents and caregivers are urged to get their children immunised, and if they see any measles symptoms, they should take them to the nearest health facility.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said in a statement on Wednesday January 18 that 79 laboratory-confirmed measles cases had been reported in Mpumalanga since September 1.
On Thursday January 12, there were 75 cases reported and before that the spread appeared to had slowed down as the cases reported between December 29 and January 6, was only one. In the statement, the NICD said the people’s age in these cases across Mpumalanga ranged from four months to 60 years.
The most affected age group by the outbreak is five to nine years. Of the 79 cases, 53 had an unknown vaccination status, nine were vaccinated and 17 were unvaccinated. According to the NICD, any person of any age who is not vaccinated can catch measles and develop the disease.
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The Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH) has urged the public to take the necessary precautions such as immunisation.
The MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, has urged parents and caregivers to take their children to their nearest health facilities for routine immunisation and ensure that their vaccinations are up to date. The department said the confirmed cases were discovered through routine measles surveillance and they informed the NICD.
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The DoH spokesperson, Dumisani Malamule, said, “The department is on high alert and has put strategies in place to contain and prevent the further spread of the outbreak.”
The department said they are urging parents to get their children immunised, and if they see any symptoms, they should take them to the nearest health facility.
