SPOTLIGHT: As schools open, there is the potential for the measles outbreaks to get worse

  • 📰 dailymaverick
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 48 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 23%
  • Publisher: 84%

South Africa Headlines News

South Africa Latest News,South Africa Headlines

Almost 400 cases of measles have been reported across five provinces over the last four months. The NICD has advised that clinicians should be on high alert, as the opening of schools may lead to localised outbreaks. Elri Voigt reports on the current ...

In October last year, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases alerted the public to a measles outbreak in Limpopo. Since then, four more provinces have reported outbreaks, and the number of positive cases in the country has climbed rapidly.from the NICD indicated that between the first week of October 2022 and mid-week in the second week of January 2023, a total of 397 cases of measles were identified across the country.

There are more than a million unvaccinated children under five, and possibly about 2.5 million unvaccinated under 15 years in South Africa. Dr Kerrigan McCarthy, a pathologist from the Centre for Vaccines and Immunology at the NICD, tellsthis is the biggest outbreak in 11 years, surpassing the outbreak in 2017 when around 280 cases of measles were identified.

She adds that the true extent of this outbreak — and whether new cases have really declined or not — may only become clear in the next few weeks, as schools across the country resume activities. Saloojee agrees that it isn’t possible to predict exactly how this outbreak will behave. “There are obviously three possible outcomes,” he says, “An increase, levelling off, or decline. My fear and expectation [are] that the outbreak will continue to expand. There are more than a million unvaccinated children under five, and possibly about 2.5 million unvaccinated under 15 years.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 3. in ZA

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

“Gargantuan” Survey Of The Milky Way Is A Sight To Behold [Images]The new dataset is made up of 21 400 shots that took two years to take, containing a staggering 3,32 billion celestial objects.
Source: 2oceansvibe - 🏆 43. / 51 Read more »

Burkina Faso Demands Swift Exit of French TroopsBurkina Faso's military regime has told France it wants its troops stationed in the country to leave within a month, the state news agency AIB reported. This came as protesters gathered to demand the French ambassador leave the country and that the French military base in Ouagadougou be closed. Protesters demanded France's ambassador leave the country and called for the closure of a French military base. Carrying placards with slogans such as "French army, get out", several hundred people gathered in a central Ouagadougou square. Huge posters showing the presidents of Mali and Guinea - both of whom came to power in coups, like Traore - as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin were also carried by protesters. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been grappling with a militant insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced around two million people. France has 400 special forces soldiers stationed in Burkina to battle insurgency, but relations have deteriorated in recent months. France has 400 special forces stationed in Burkina to battle the insurgency - but relations have deteriorated in recent months.
Source: allafrica - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Mxolisi Dukwana emerges as ANC Free State chair after hotly-contested election | News24Having led the ANC Free State’s interim provincial committee for almost two years, Mxolisi Dukwana has been elected the province’s chairperson. | JKwritingz JKwritingz ....the end of Ace us now sealed....sad but deserved AdriaanBasson JKwritingz Another 'dealmaker'
Source: News24 - 🏆 4. / 80 Read more »

Pun of the Day - Monday, 23 January 2023Puns are undeniably cheesy at times, but almost always lead to a good laugh - and South Africans could all do with more of that right now!
Source: TheSAnews - 🏆 25. / 59 Read more »

Chinese pray for health in lunar new year as Covid death toll risesOfficials in China reported almost 13,000 deaths related to Covid in hospitals between January 13 and 19, adding to the 60,000 in the months before that
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »

Ex-senior govt official sentenced for fraud and money laundering | The Citizen👩‍⚖️ The husband and wife team fleeced almost R3 million in fraudulent payments from the Department of Land and Rural Development.
Source: TheCitizen_News - 🏆 6. / 75 Read more »