Unvaccinated babies most at risk as measles cases rise, expert warns
The rise in cases has been linked to low vaccination rates, while experts continue to emphasise the effectiveness and safety of the measles vaccine.
There has been an increase in measles cases nationwide.
Data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) shows there have been 3 891 cases recorded since January.
The Western Cape reported the highest number of new cases, followed by Limpopo, the Northern Cape and Gauteng.
According to the NICD’s report, five cases were picked up in KwaZulu-Natal.
But Professor Jantjie Taljaard, an infectious diseases expert at Stellenbosch University, says it is not a cause for concern.
“For the general public that has been immunised, there's no reason to panic. But the problem is obviously with regards to people that are at higher risk of becoming very ill due to the complications of measles, and that's mostly your small, not immunised babies.
“They can get severe pneumonia, ear infections, and even deafness and blindness.
“And in the most severe cases inflammation of the brain or so-called encephalitis can develop, so it is often the reason for mortality.”
Professor Taljaard has linked the figures to a low vaccination rate.
“It's a highly effective vaccine, and there's been a lot of research done in the past, but also recently, retrospectively looking at millions of people who have been vaccinated, comparing them to people who have not been vaccinated, and they haven't found any red flags with regards to unexpected side effects due to these vaccinations.”
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