Ekurhuleni has rolled out an emergency measles vaccination campaign following an outbreak of the disease in Gauteng that was confirmed by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in early December. 

As parents prepare to send their children back to school for the start of the new term, many have been seeking vaccinations to protect them from contracting the highly infectious disease.

At the Ethafeni Clinic in Tembisa, Maverick Citizen witnessed more than 100 parents bringing children for their jabs. Despite the long queue, healthcare workers were moving swiftly to provide the children with their injections.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases declared a measles outbreak in Gauteng and North-West over the festive season. Parents and children at Ethafeni Clinic in Thembisa lined up to be immunised against the disease. (Photo: Naledi Sikhakhane)

Concerned mother Zanele Zwane (45), who had brought her 10-year-old and her two-year-old, said she had heard about the outbreak from staff at a Health Department information tent set up outside the clinic in December. They had urged her to bring her children for vaccinations.

“I haven’t come across someone who has measles and I haven’t seen it, but I wanted my children to be safe,” said Zwane. “I googled the disease, symptoms and so on. I saw that it’s very dangerous and I want my 10-year-old to be safe at school as they open tomorrow [Wednesday].”

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be spread through contact with infected mucus and saliva. An infected person can release the virus into the air when they cough or sneeze. Symptoms include fever, diarrhoea and a rash of small spots on the skin. It mostly affects children. The NICD has identified cases in three parts of Gauteng.

Parents who lined up with their children’s vaccination cards in hand said that they had learnt of the outbreak through word of mouth or from care volunteers who were going door-to-door to educate parents about the disease.  

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The vaccination drive is part of Ekurhuleni’s Provincial Measles Outbreak Response Campaign, which started on 28 December 2022 and targets children aged from six months to 15 years. The campaign includes radio briefings that explain the seriousness of the issue. 

Posters and pamphlets in English, isiZulu and Sesotho have been distributed to healthcare facilities.  

Ekurhuleni Health District Manager Terrance Magoro said the current outbreak had been contained. District health workers had been vaccinating the close contacts of all confirmed measles cases. All contacts were being monitored and were urged to report to the nearest healthcare facility if they developed symptoms of measles. 

“Some people think of measles as just a rash and fever that clears up in a few days, but the fact is that measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than five, adults over 20, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

“The disease kills hundreds of thousands of children each year around the world, most under the age of five,” said Magoro. Measles can cause pneumonia that leads to death; or brain swelling, which may lead to brain damage.

The department is making more human resources available for the measles awareness campaign, and joint operations will be undertaken with road safety departments to help the department assess the vaccination status of children and offer vaccinations to them.

Magoro said the Health Department was also working with the Department of Education and would distribute vaccination consent forms at schools when they open on Wednesday, 11 January. DM/MC