Measles outbreak: Almost 1,000 confirmed cases in SA

On Tuesday, 2 May, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that there are 970 cases of measles in the country, with Limpopo reporting the highest number of cases.

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MEASLES CASES PER PROVINCE

As the number of cases nears 1,000, a breakdown of cases for each province is provided below:

• North West: 216
• Northern Cape: 9
• Limpopo: 405
• Gauteng: 165
• Mpumalanga: 108
• KwaZulu-Natal: 20
• Free State: 29
• Eastern Cape: 6
• Western Cape: 14

SYMPTOMS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Measles is a highly contagious and serious disease.

Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963 and its widespread use, major epidemics occurred about every 2-3 years, resulting in an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

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Here are some symptoms to watch out for:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis)
• Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek — also called Koplik’s spots
• A skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another

The symptoms of measles typically improve within a week.

If you have seen a GP, there are steps you can take to alleviate the symptoms and lower the risk of spreading the infection. These include:

• Resting and drinking plenty of fluids, such as water, to prevent dehydration.
• Taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce high temperature. However, aspirin should not be given to children under 16 years.
• Gently removing any crusts from yours or your child’s eyes using cotton wool soaked in warm water.

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