Stay safe from measles this festive season

The Western Cape is still seeing an increase in measles outbreaks in urban and rural areas such as Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, Eerste River, Somerset West, Mitchells Plain, Kraaifontein, Wesbank, Du Noon, Fisantekraal, and Citrusdal in the West Coast, and we are still managing cases of diphtheria in parts of the Cape Metropole. The increase in measles cases is not unique to the Western Cape, as South Africa is currently facing a decline in childhood vaccination uptake, which poses a serious risk for public health and threatens the country’s efforts to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. This decline contributed to multiple outbreaks of measles, rubella, and diphtheria across the Province, signalling serious gaps in population immunity. 

Ensuring immunisation coverage across the Province remains a top priority of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness. Since October 2024, the Department has ramped up its immunisation efforts to protect young children from serious and life-threatening vaccine-preventable diseases. As we enter the holiday season, we are expecting an increase in holiday goers who will be visiting family and friends. To ensure we can continue to protect our communities through our vaccination efforts, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness encourages parents and legal guardians to access our healthcare services and ensure that your children are fully immunised to avoid serious complications or hospitalisation from measles and diphtheria during the festive season. 

The Department have implemented an early warning and response system to these outbreaks that includes strengthening coordination of the response, intensifying disease surveillance, clinical management of cases, and community engagement. Targeted vaccination outreaches will be prioritised in the areas where we see a rapid increase in measles cases, and our healthcare facilities will be open to assist with immunisation coverage during the holiday season.

Protect your child from measles and diphtheria:

 Measles:

Measles is a highly contagious disease that infects the respiratory tract. Symptoms of measles include high fever, rash, runny nose, conjunctivitis and coughing. Healthcare practitioners can diagnose measles based on signs and symptoms, and a blood sample can be collected for laboratory testing. 

We ask that parents look out for measles symptoms and keep their children home when they have one or more of these symptoms so that we can curb the spread of this highly contagious disease. Should your child run a fever, feel sleepy or struggle to eat, take them to the nearest clinic immediately. 

Potential complications of measles include pneumonia, diarrhoea, brain infection, and blindness. Complications are more serious in those who catch measles as young infants (under 2 years of age) and in children who are malnourished.

Diphtheria:

Diphtheria is a serious disease caused by a toxin (poison) made by a bacteria. It causes a thick coating in the back of the nose or throat that makes it hard to breathe or swallow. Diphtheria starts with a sore throat, mild fever and chills. Next, there is swelling of the throat, followed by the diphtheria toxin making a thick coating on the back of the nose or throat and swelling of the neck. The coating may be white or greyish. Diphtheria spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A person can spread the disease for up to two weeks after infection. Prolonged close contact is necessary for the infection to be spread. 

Diphtheria can be prevented through vaccination of children with the diphtheria vaccine, in combination with other vaccines (Hexavalent) at the age of 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 18 months, Tdap vaccine as a booster dose at 6 years and 12 years. Any person who is not vaccinated against diphtheria can get the disease. Diphtheria mostly affects children, but any age group can be affected. If you or your child experiences symptoms, please visit your nearest health facility urgently for assessment. If diphtheria is suspected, laboratory tests will be done. 

Free childhood vaccines are available at all public health facilities, and catch-up doses can be given if a child has missed a vaccination. Vaccines are also available through the private sector facilities and private-public partnerships. 

We urge parents not to assume their children are immune. Help us protect our children by taking them for their routine immunisations and signing consent forms when our school vaccination teams visit their school.