The Travel Doctor
Traveller's medical & vaccination centre
Health Alerts
Travel Doctor TMVC provides the latest health and travel alerts, including updates from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Press the back button to return to the list of health alerts.
Measles in South Africa Feb 2010
Thursday, 4 February, 2010
The city of Cape Town on 1 Feb 2010 issued a warning about a measles outbreak. More than 100 cases of measles had been reported in Cape Town since October. In the Western Cape Province health authorities say they are on high alert after receiving reports that nearly 250 people around the province have contracted measles in the past 5 months.. Both Gauteng (which includes Johannesburg) and KwaZulu-Natalprovinces were hit by measles outbreaks late last year. More than 1000 children in Gauteng contracted measles in the space of 3 months. The Eastern Cape province has also experienced a surge in measles cases during the past month. A 25-year-old man from Tshezi village outside Mthatha died on 3 Jan 2010 after contracting the virus from a two-year-old who came to visit during Christmas holidays from Gauteng. By mid-January there were 50 suspected measles infections reported from villages.
Measles appears now to be prevalent throughout South Africa with both adults and children at risk, indicating incomplete vaccine coverage. Visitors to South Africa should ensure that they have adequate protection. Measles infection, although usually mild, can have serious consequences for non-immunised or partially immunised children and adults.
