The number of measles cases continues to increase in the province. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said in a statement on Thursday December 29 that 68 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported in Mpumalanga since September 1.
In the statement, the NICD said the people’s age in these cases across Mpumalanga ranged from four months to 28 years. The most affected age group by the measles outbreak is five to nine years.
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In the 68 cases recorded in the province, 42 had an unknown vaccination status, nine were vaccinated and 17 were unvaccinated.
The Mpumalanga MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, urged parents and caregivers to take their children to their nearest healthcare facility for routine immunisation and to ensure that their vaccinations are up to date. “Measles vaccines are given routinely at six and 12 months of age. It is never too late to get vaccinated.”
According to the NICD, any person of any age who is not vaccinated can catch measles. It is highly infectious and spreads rapidly from person to person.
“Measles presents with fever, malaise, cough, conjunctivitis and a runny nose. A maculopapular non-itchy, non-vesicular rash appears on the face, neck, trunk and limbs, usually on day four of the illness. Other measles complications are pneumonia, scarring of the cornea (kerato-conjunctivitis) and, rarely, encephalitis.”
The measles outbreak was declared in Mpumalanga on November 11.
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