Mostly children affected by measles as outbreak grows

• At least 57 cases of measles have been reported in Limpopo and Mpumalanga in just over a month.
• Before widespread vaccination in the 1980s measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths every year globally. 
• In the  2000s reported measles cases in SA had dropped to around 100 per year. 
• SA’s last large outbreak was more than 18,000 cases in 2009-2010.
• An estimated 72.8% of South Africans have been vaccinated against measles.

More than 57 cases of measles have been reported in Limpopo and Mpumalanga in just over a month, prompting the National Institute For Communicable Diseases Of South Africa (NICD) to issue an outbreak alert. 

The majority of cases reported have been in children in the 13 months to 9 years old age group. 

Measles is airborne, highly contagious and it can present flu-like symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever and rash. A measles outbreak is classified as at least three laboratory-confirmed measles cases reported within 30 days in a district.

Before widespread vaccination in the 1980s measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths every year globally. 

In South Africa, vaccination programmes reduced reported measles cases from around 20,000 a year to fewer than 100 per year in between 1980 and the early 2000s. An estimated 72.8% of South Africans are vaccinated against measles.

In South Africa, measles vaccinations can take two routes. In the private sector, the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is available and is priced from R276.00 to R400.00 a shot. In the public sector, a measles vaccine known as Measbio is administered free of charge in two doses, first at six months of age and then at around 12 months of age. 

“The outbreak in [South Africa] is of concern because it comes at a time when measles vaccination coverage is lower than it should be… When many people are not vaccinated, introduction of a case into the community may lead to an outbreak,” says the NICD’s Dr Kerrigan McCarthy.

South Africa had one of its worst measles outbreaks from 2009 to 2010 when more than 18,000 cases were detected, but the country has since reverted to the previous lower levels. 

Africa

Africa is the continent worst affected by measles in the twenty-first century.

In April this year, a measles outbreak was declared in Zimbabwe. Since then 7,504 cases of the virus have been recorded, along with 744 deaths according to an October report by the NICD. In another report, the NICD stated that one of the measles cases in Limpopo resulted from contact with someone linked to the measles circulation in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe and South Africa are just two of around 17 African countries still battling occasional outbreaks this year according to data from the NICD.