Clinics warned about possible measles outbreak

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases issued a report on a possible measles outbreak following a major increase in reported cases in the country – from six last year to 49 in 2014.
The institute’s Lucille Blumberg said that vaccines for children older than 9 months are available for free at clinics countrywide.
KZN has six-confirmed cases.
While measles is probably best known for its full-body rash, the first symptoms of the infection are usually a hacking cough, runny nose, high fever, and red eyes.
A characteristic marker of measles are Koplik’s spots, small red spots with blue-white centers that appear inside the mouth.
The measles rash typically has a red or reddish brown blotchy appearance, and first usually shows up on the forehead, then spreads downward over the face, neck, and body, then down to the arms and feet.
Measles is highly contagious — 90% of people who haven’t been vaccinated for measles will get it if they live in the same household as an infected person. Measles is spread when someone comes in direct contact with infected droplets or when someone with measles sneezes or coughs and spreads virus droplets through the air.
A person with measles is contagious from 1 to 2 days before symptoms start until about 4 days after the rash appears.