Measles outbreak: Free State health department to intensify vaccination

The Free State health department has decided to start administering the measles vaccine to all children aged between six months and 15 years in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district with immediate effect.

The department took the decision after the district recorded nine of 12 cases in the province. The other cases were reported in the Xhariep (Springfontein), Fezile Dabi (Frankfort) and Lejweleputswa (Welkom) districts.

All the cases reported occurred in children under five.

The provincial department said on Tuesday it will not wait for the national measles campaign, which takes place from February 6-20.

“This is to combat the surge of measles cases in the province,” the department said in a statement.

The department said it had activated its school health teams and vaccinators will visit schools and childcare centres in and around Bethlehem.

“Parents are requested to assist the teams and provide consent for vaccination at the schools and centres visited.”

Teachers were alerted to look out for pupils presenting with symptoms and inform health authorities. Symptoms include fever, general rash and any of the following: a cough, runny nose and redness of the eyes.

Contact tracing and screening of affected children were being done by the district disease outbreak response teams to manage the outbreak in Bethlehem. Contacts without symptoms were being vaccinated.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases said from October 8  to January 7, 357 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported from five provinces with declared measles outbreaks:

• Limpopo (140 cases);
• Mpumalanga (75);
• the North West (114);
• Gauteng (16); and
• the Free State (12).

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