The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Molefi Sefularo, called an urgent expert meeting, to discuss the measles outbreak and the extent of its spread in the country. The meeting also reviewed the Department of Health’s intervention strategy.
The meeting chaired by officials from the national Department of Health, the National Advisory Group on immunisation and technical experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO), including the WHO country representative Dr Stella Anyangwe.
A report on the current status of the measles outbreak noted that as at 13 October there were 940 laboratory confirmed cases of measles with the majority of the cases in Gauteng (91 percent). Significantly smaller numbers of confirmed cases occurred in the other provinces. To date four measles-related deaths were reported of whom three were laboratory confirmed.
One striking feature of this latest outbreak is that while it has affected children of the poorer communities, it has also been concentrated among relatively well-off children, predominantly in the 15 to 19 year old age group. We believe that in both groups, the underlying cause has been failure by the parents or guardians to take children for immunization i.e. both the initial and follow-up doses.
Whilst the number of cases were significantly higher than the corresponding period last year the meeting agreed that this was a localised outbreak
The Department of Health has responded to the measles outbreak by mounting a mass immunisation campaign in Gauteng targeting children up to 15 years of age. The Deputy Minister of Health would like to urge all parents and guardians in Gauteng to ensure that their children are fully immunised against measles. This means that children must have the first dose of measles vaccine at nine months and a follow up dose at 18 months old. All public health facilities provide free immunisation and vaccination against measles is safe. For the mass campaign, parents must ensure that they give consent for their children to be vaccinated.
The national Department of Health is working with other provinces to strengthen surveillance and to determine high risk and vulnerable populations so that localised campaigns can be mounted to prevent the spread of measles. Parents and caregivers in these provinces are encouraged to take their children to public health clinics to be immunised. If you are not sure about the vaccination status of your child please take them to be immunised. Measles is a preventable disease which if not treated, can seriously harm your child.
The Department of Health is planning a national mass measles and polio campaign for the first quarter of next year. However, what is important is for all caregivers to ensure that children are routinely immunised.
Working together we can and must eliminate measles from our country. It is a reachable target but one that can only be reached if all children receive two doses of the measles vaccine.
Enquiries:
Charity Bhengu
Cell: 083 679 7424
Issued by: Department of Health
16 October 2009
