An increase in German measles cases has been noted in the Western Cape since the second week of September.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has noted a week-on-week increase in laboratory-confirmed cases of German measles in Khayelitsha.
The NICD on Tuesday said an increase in German measles, or rubella, cases has been noted in the Western Cape since the second week of September.
“While sporadic cases have been noted across the country, a week-on-week increase in laboratory-confirmed cases has been noted in Khayelitsha sub-district of the City of Cape Town.
“To date, 19 cases have been identified through serological testing, and all are in the 5-9-year age group.
“Anecdotal reports of increased numbers of clinically suspected cases without laboratory confirmation in the Khayelitsha sub-district of the City of Cape Town have been received,” the NICD said.
Before 2020, seasonal rubella outbreaks occurred from week 35 onwards, usually the first week of September.
Between 2020-2023, fewer than 50 cases of rubella were identified across the country, as the non-pharmaceutical interventions that were implemented for the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted rubella transmission, the NICD said.
“As the country has not experienced the usual seasonal rubella outbreaks, we are likely to see a large number of cases in 2023.”
Rubella is a mild illness in children and adults but can have severe consequences in pregnant women, particularly those infected in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Rubella virus may infect the foetus, leading to congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). In children and adults, rubella infection presents with rash, low-grade fever, nausea, sore throat, mild conjunctivitis (red eyes), headache, cough, runny nose and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. The rash usually starts on the face and neck before spreading to the rest of the body. The rash lasts for about five days. Congenital rubella syndrome may lead to foetal death, or congenital anomalies including congenital heart disease, cataracts and deafness.
“The National Department of Health plans to implement rubella vaccination in 2024 to support the WHO global measles-rubella eradication 2030 target. The rubella vaccine will be administered with the measles vaccine at 6 and 12 months. The current measles-only vaccine (MeasBio) will be replaced with a single vaccine containing measles and rubella vaccines. Presently, rubella vaccine is available in the private sector as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine,” the NICD said.
Cape Times
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