The City of Tshwane is monitoring measles cases and its outbreak response teams are ready to curb the spread as far as possible.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has declared a measles outbreak in Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Free State and the North West.
In Tshwane, 14 laboratory-confirmed cases have been recorded since May 2022.
The latest case in Tshwane, reported on December 30, was of a four-year-old boy from Hammanskraal.
“During late December the city implemented a measles vaccination campaign as a preventive measure, targeting children from the ages of six months to 15 years.
“In addition to this, the city launched an awareness campaign to mobilise and keep communities informed through radio stations and social media,” MMC for health Rina Marx said on Wednesday.
She advised parents and caregivers to take their children to the municipality’s clinics for vaccination. The NICD had indicated the outbreak was due to low vaccine coverage.
“At this stage of reporting, there is no indication of a cluster outbreak of measles in Tshwane. However, this situation could change as cross-provincial travel is expected to increase before the reopening of schools.”
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Tshwane health services ready to prevent spread of measles
Image: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson
The City of Tshwane is monitoring measles cases and its outbreak response teams are ready to curb the spread as far as possible.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has declared a measles outbreak in Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Free State and the North West.
In Tshwane, 14 laboratory-confirmed cases have been recorded since May 2022.
The latest case in Tshwane, reported on December 30, was of a four-year-old boy from Hammanskraal.
“During late December the city implemented a measles vaccination campaign as a preventive measure, targeting children from the ages of six months to 15 years.
“In addition to this, the city launched an awareness campaign to mobilise and keep communities informed through radio stations and social media,” MMC for health Rina Marx said on Wednesday.
She advised parents and caregivers to take their children to the municipality’s clinics for vaccination. The NICD had indicated the outbreak was due to low vaccine coverage.
“At this stage of reporting, there is no indication of a cluster outbreak of measles in Tshwane. However, this situation could change as cross-provincial travel is expected to increase before the reopening of schools.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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