THE City of Ekurhuleni is accelerating the vaccination of children against measles following the detection of 16 confirmed measles cases since the start of the year in the region.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through infectious, airborne respiratory droplets from an infected person when coughing or sneezing.
The first measles cases in Gauteng were reported on 6 December 2022 from a single health facility in the Ekurhuleni health district.
These three cases fell into the age group of five to nine years old. All three of the children had an unknown vaccination status.
The Gauteng Department of Health kick-started the measles vaccination campaign in Ekurhuleni on 28 December last year.
So far, 39 722 children have already been vaccinated.
The target is to immunise a million children between the ages of six months and 15 years.
Furthermore, the ongoing measles vaccination campaign will see the City’s healthcare practitioners visit pre-schools, primary schools, and high schools to administer the measles vaccines to the unvaccinated targeted age groups. All clinics in the City of Ekurhuleni provide vaccination against measles for children aged between six months and 15 years.
Signs and symptoms of measles include flu-like symptoms such as high fever, coughing, and sneezing. Conjunctivitis (pink eye) and coryza (runny nose), fatigue, muscle pain, and a red maculopapular (blotchy) rash.
Children under a year old may develop complicated measles including bronchopneumonia, keratoconjunctivitis (inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eyes), and, rarely, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
These complications may lead to irreversible damage or death, especially in immunocompromised or malnourished children.
According to the South African Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), children are given the measles vaccine at six months of age and a booster at 12 months.
These vaccines are available free of charge at public health facilities.
Pre-school owner Khosi Majola said: “It would be easier if the healthcare practitioners visit pre-schools because if each parent must take their child to the clinic for vaccination there will just be long queues and chaos as there are many children out there. Other parents take children to preschool every morning heading to work, and they might not get the time to take them to the clinic.”
