Currently, all provinces except the Eastern Cape have declared a measles outbreak. Photo from iStock for illustration purposes.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported an uptick in measles cases in South Africa.
In the past week alone, seven new measles cases were recorded, primarily in Limpopo. But it’s not all doom and gloom, there is good news too.
As per the latest situation report dated 11 May, the NICD tested 5 916 serum samples for measles since October 2022, of which 17% (or 1 004 cases) showed a positive result.
Excluding Eastern Cape, all provinces in South Africa are grappling with a declared measles outbreak.
That said, most cases are concentrated in Limpopo, accounting for all seven new cases in the recent weeks.
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The outbreak predominantly affects children between the ages of five and nine, which makes up approximately 43% of the cases.
Children between the ages of one and and four make up 23% of all cases, followed by 20% for children between the ages of 10 and 14.
The NICD said national vaccination campaigns have been ramped up to cover all children from the age of one 14, to improve coverage rates and control the outbreak.
On a positive note, South Africa’s ‘reproduction number’ – a key metric that indicates the virus’s ability to spread – was estimated to be below 1, as of 3 May.
This shows a decline in infection incidence. The same trend of decreasing infection rates was also observed at the provincial and district levels.
In areas currently in the grips of a measles outbreak, only about 11% of the cases were vaccinated, with 13% unvaccinated.
Unfortunately, the vaccination status of the remaining 76.5% (758 cases) remains unknown, which obscures the data and makes it efforts to contain the disease so much more challenging.
The NICD also says the severity of the outbreak – as well as the demographic most affected – differed across provinces.
This means tailored strategies should be implemented, by province, to curb the spread.
While the infection rates appear to be on the decline, the NICD calls for vigilance and continuous surveillance.
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