North West Health MEC, Madoda Sambatha, has urged parents and caregivers to take their children for immunisation against measles at their nearest healthcare facilities.
This comes after the Centre for Vaccines and Immunology and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) recorded a measles outbreak in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District on 2 December 2022.
Sambatha said the province has to date confirmed 36 confirmed cases of measles, with Ngaka Modiri Molema recording 29 cases, Bojanala three, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati two and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District two cases.
“This situation is alarming and we urge our community to take action and protect their children by bringing them to healthcare facilities and immunisation outreach campaigns rolled out throughout the province.
“The department has enough vaccines to deal with measles in the province, therefore, we urge our community to share the message and raise awareness about this outbreak and mobilise for more children to be protected through immunisation,” Sambatha said.
Last week, the NICD said a total of 169 cases of laboratory-confirmed measles cases were reported from 11 October to 7 December 2022 across four provinces, including North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng.
“From epidemiological week 40 to week 49, laboratory-confirmed measles cases increased in Limpopo and Mpumalanga to 98 and 50 cases, respectively. A measles outbreak was declared in the Ngaka Molema District in the North West on 2 December 2022 and in Ekurhuleni District in Gauteng on 6 December 2022.
“The age of [patients] across the country ranges from two months to 42 years, with 44% of cases in the five to nine years age group and 28% in the one to four years age group. Of the 169 cases, 125 had an unknown vaccination status, 18 were vaccinated and 26 were unvaccinated,” the NICD reported in its last report.
Measles symptoms
According to the NICD, measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus and patients with measles present with fever and with a rash.
The rash looks like small, red, flat spots over the body. The rash does not form blisters, and is not itchy and painful.
“Other signs include cough, conjunctivitis (red eyes) and coryza (running nose). Complications of measles can include diarrhoea, dehydration, brain infection (encephalitis), blindness and death.
“Complications are more serious in those who catch measles as young infants (under two years of age) and in children who are malnourished,” the NICD said.
