The Northern Cape departments of Health and Education aim to administer a total of 393,310 measles vaccines between February 6 and March 31.
THE NORTHERN Cape departments of Health and Education aim to administer a total of 393,310 measles vaccines between February 6 and March 31.
The MEC for Health, Maruping Lekwene, said there were currently seven cases of measles in the Province.
“We want to keep the numbers low. There are four cases in Frances Baard, two in ZF Mgcawu and one in Pixley ka Seme. We are targeting to immunise children between the ages of six months and 15 years.”
Lekwene and the MEC for Education, Zolile Monakali, visited Roodepan and St Peters primary schools on Tuesday as part of the roll-out of the measles vaccination programme and de-worming and Vitamin A catch-up programme at schools and early childhood development (ECD) centres across the Province.
Northern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Lebogang Majaha said the Province expected to cover 95 percent of the target population.
“The drop-out rates of measles in the Northern Cape remains high, with seven positive measles cases in the province. No fatalities have been reported thus far.
“Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by the measles virus. Patients with measles present with fever and with a rash. The rash looks like small, red, flat spots that start on the face/head and spread over the body. The rash does not form blisters, nor is it itchy or painful. Other signs include cough, conjunctivitis (red eyes) and coryza (a runny nose).”
Majaha added that the department was in the process of immunising 80 percent of children who had missed their routine Vitamin A and de-worming doses.
“Disruptions of routine immunisation services brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic have worsened the long-standing challenges in vaccine-preventable disease surveillance performance.”
Majaha stated that the number of measles cases that were reported between January to July 2022 were three times higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said vaccination protected individuals from severe symptoms of measles, mostly for the rest of their lives.
“Any person who is not immune to measles can catch measles from an infected person. Once a person has had measles, they are immune to the virus. Communities become vulnerable to outbreaks of measles when more than five percent of persons are not vaccinated.”
Majaha appealed to parents and guardians to urgently sign and return the consent form provided to all pupils at schools and early childhood development centres eligible for immunisation of measles.
“This is to grant health workers permission to immunise their children. If a child does not have written documentation of measles vaccination, they can be vaccinated at their nearest health facility. For those who lost or misplaced their children’s Road To Health Book (RTHB), they can still receive the measles vaccination.”
He added that the department had sufficient vaccines, which would be stored in cold storage, according to the specifications of the World Health Organization.
“This is to ensure that vaccines are kept at an appropriate temperature level. The Department of Health has also appointed 34 additional professional nurses and six data capturers on contract to manage the vaccination of learners at schools and ECD centres during the campaign.”
