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The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has announced that a public health response investigation was needed to identify new measles cases in the Greater Sekhukhune District in Limpopo to prevent the spread of the disease.
According to the institute, three measles cases have been detected from two healthcare facilities in the district and classified as laboratory-confirmed cases within 30 days.
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The institute said, as a result, a public health response investigation was needed to identify new measles cases and vaccination of the contacts to prevent the spread of the disease.
“The first two measles cases were reported between September 22 and 25 with the third case was reported on October 2. The measles cases were of babies aged one month, 11 months and a year old, respectively, with two cases not vaccinated for measles and one case with unknown measles-vaccination status,” read the report from NICD.
The institute said the Greater Sekhukhune District, with the support of the Limpopo health department, had started measles case findings and vaccinations targeting children between six months and 15 years.
The institute has, therefore, called for clinicians to be alert for measles cases, especially in Limpopo, as large measles outbreaks were occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Yarmouth said if a person presented fever, malaise, cough, conjunctivitis and running a nose, they should immediately visit the nearest healthcare facility for medical attention.
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Dr Ramathuba, who started a vaccination campaign on Monday, urged parents to bring their children to the nearest clinics for measles vaccination catchup if they had missed the six- and 12-month-measles programme.
The institute says other symptoms of measles include maculopapular non-itchy, non-vesicular rash, which appears on the face, neck, trunk, and limbs, usually on day four of the illness. Other measles complications are pneumonia, scarring of the cornea, and rarely encephalitis [an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes swollen].
