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GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has declared a measles outbreak in the Cape Metro district.
Four laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been reported in the Cape Metro district from 24 January to 17 February.
According to the Western Cape Department of Health, a measles outbreak is defined as the occurrence of three or more confirmed measles cases (at least two of which should be laboratory-confirmed) in a health facility or district (approximate catchment population of 100 000) in a month (that is in line with the World Health Organization International Health Regulations).
The department says in a statement on Tuesday 21 February that measles surveillance has been ramped up across the province.
Healthcare workers at the department and City of Cape Town are on alert to vaccinate all known contacts, and for anyone presenting at healthcare facilities with the signs and symptoms.
All children’s Road-to-health booklets are being checked to ensure their measles vaccinations are up-to-date.
Vaccination drives are currently underway in all districts of the province to contain the spread of measles, which is a preventable disease. To date, a total of 168 056 measles vaccines has been administered provincially since 6 February.
Children under the age of 15 are eligible and urged to get vaccinated.
Sonia Botha, the Western Cape’s coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), says no child in a school or crèche will be vaccinated unless his or her parent or legal guardian has given permission through signing a consent form.
“Parents and caregivers should be alert to the signs and symptoms. It is never too late to vaccinate against measles. Please do not delay in taking your children to the nearest clinic for vaccination, where the healthcare workers will assure them about the efficacy and safety of the measles vaccine. Through vaccination, we can protect our children, our families, and our communities from measles and other vaccine preventable diseases.”
Measles patients present with fever, rash, and one or more of these symptoms, cough, red eyes, and runny nose. Complications of measles include pneumonia, diarrhoea, dehydration, encephalitis, blindness, and possibly death.
Measles complications are severe in malnourished children and young infants under two years of age.
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