By Tammy O'Reilly
WITH 11 confirmed and 90 suspected cases of measles reported in Johannesburg in the last four months, the City's Department of Health has warned residents to be aware of the dangers of the disease.
The City was particularly concerned about the measles outbreak this year, because the number of cases reported this year had risen significantly compared to last year.
According to the assistant director for communicable diseases for the City's Department of Health, Dr Baski Desai, only three or four confirmed cases of measles were reported last year, whereas "now, in the short space of four months 11 cases have been confirmed".
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that kills nearly a million children worldwide every year. If left unattended complications could lead to middle ear infection, blindness, dehydration, pneumonia and neurological complications such as convulsions and even death, warns the department.
Measles is characterised by a fever, cough, conjunctivitis (redness and irritation in membranes of the eyes), and a spreading rash.
Before immunization programmes became widespread, measles was so common that the majority of the population had been infected by the age of 20.
Through the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation in South Africa from 1996 to 2000, the mortality rate of measles had substantially decreased, the department said.
Vaccines give life-long immunity from the disease, the department said. The first dose of the measles vaccine is administered at nine months and the second dose at 18 months. Parents are urged to update their children's vaccinations to reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
The stance that the government has taken in combating measles is "impressive", Desai said. "Ten years ago a large number of children contracted measles and subsequently died, but now measles has almost been eliminated."
All suspected cases of measles must be reported to the Gauteng Communicable Diseases hotline on 082 372 0554.
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