Measles outbreak Cape Town

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) issued an alert of a measles outbreak in the Cape Metro district. Image: Pixabay

KwaZulu-Natal is getting ready to contain a possible measles outbreak

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is getting ready in case there is a measles outbreak.

Measles outbreak Cape Town

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) issued an alert of a measles outbreak in the Cape Metro district. Image: Pixabay

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) health portfolio committee will conduct inspections at four clinics on Thursday, 16 February 2023, to assess their readiness to contain the reported measles outbreak in five South African provinces.

KZN IS ASSESSING ITS READINESS IN CASE OF A MEASLES OUTBREAK

Nomakiki Majola, the chairperson of the Health Portfolio Committee in KwaZulu-Natal, says the steps they are taking are to be ready in case of a measles outbreak in the province.

“We are taking steps to ensure that hospitals and clinics have all the resources to deal with the crisis. We did the same when faced with the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Majola.

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“Circular No. 1 of 2023 from the department of Health, states that the outbreak has been declared in five provinces, and the number of cases is on the rise.”

Nomakiki Majola
KZN measles outbreak
Children from six months up to 15 years must get vaccinated against measles. Image: AFP

The circular further says, “Although the outbreak is currently limited to five provinces, it is unlikely to remain localized in these provinces,” says Majola.

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Readiness assessments in the prevention of a measles outbreak will be done in the following KZN institutions:

  • Othobothini Community Health Centre (CHC)
  • Mduku Clinic
  • lMacambini Clinic
  • Umlazi Clinic.

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According to the National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD), all children between the ages of six months and 15 years can get a free vaccine at any public health facility.

The NICD said 357 laboratory-confirmed cases were detected between epidemiological week 40 of 2022 and the first week of 2023.

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FIVE PROVINCES HAVE SO FAR DECLARED AN OUTBREAK

The following five provinces have declared measles outbreaks:

  • Limpopo – 140 cases
  • North West – 114 cases
  • Mpumalanga – 75 cases
  • Gauteng – 16 cases
  • Free State 12 cases

The NICD has tested 3279 serum samples for measles since epidemiological week 40, 2022, of which 506 (15.4%) were confirmed positive. In outbreak-affected provinces, 484 cases have been reported since week 40, 2022. During the week 04 up until mid-week 05, 2023, 58 laboratory-confirmed measles cases were detected across the country, of which 56 were from outbreak-affected provinces.

In week 04, the percentage of samples testing positive (PTP) increased to 25% of the 330 samples tested, compared with a lower PTP (under 10%) in week 03, 2023.

All Gauteng cases, except two, originate from Ekurhuleni (Daveyton and Germiston). The two cases not from Ekurhuleni are from Tshwane (Hammanskraal) and Johannesburg (Olievenhoutbosch).

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In provinces where an outbreak has been declared, the most affected age groups are still the 5–9-year-olds. Vaccination campaigns should, therefore, also include children aged 10 to 14

Members of the public, including those in KZN, are urged to ensure their children are vaccinated against measles in case of a massive outbreak.

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