Measles false alarm

Case reported in PE turns out to be from Gauteng

TWO cases of measles have been reported in Nelson Mandela Bay by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) since April, but the Eastern Cape Department of Health insists it was a case of a false alarm and a wrong address.

Measles is an airborne disease spread by coughing and sneezing.

It can affect both children and adults but is more prevalent in children.

A widespread skin rash is a classic sign of measles. It commonly appears as red, itchy bumps that develop on the head and slowly spread to other parts of the body.

NICD spokeswoman Nombuso Shabalala said they had received two reports of patients with measles from Port Elizabeth in April and in June.

“The two cases were sent to the NICD measles reference centre from private laboratories as part of the measles surveillance which is done by both NICD and Department of Health.

“Both cases were from Nelson Mandela Bay Metro,” she said. “The NICD has shared the information with the province to investigate the source of infection.”

Shabalala said measles was endemic in South Africa and the number of measles cases in Nelson Mandela Bay did not constitute an outbreak.

“Due to the increase in measles cases we are on high alert and monitoring any province that detects the measles cases.”

But provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo disagreed with the NICD. He said the June case was a 10-month-old baby.

“Her blood sample was collected on June 2,” he said.

“The child was seen at the Olive Day Clinic in Johannesburg but the mother used a relative’s address in Port Elizabeth.

“We are saying therefore that this case is not ours.

“The second patient was a nurse. We collected a blood specimen on April 17 and sent it to the Pathcare private laboratory.”

He said the NICD said it was a false alarm. “They promised to send us a one-page report.”

The Gauteng Department of Health ran an emergency measles outbreak campaign between May 15 and June 30.

Discovery Health medical aid also said it had seen a significant increase in the incidence of measles in its claims.

Discovery Health head of risk management and quality care, Dr Roshini Moodley-Naidoo, urged parents to make sure their children were vaccinated against measles.

“The [Gauteng] outbreak is occurring not because the vaccines used previously failed, but rather because not everyone was vaccinated, leaving the rest of the community vulnerable.

“Measles is a serious and highly contagious disease.

“It can cause severe complications, including blindness, deafness, brain damage, pneumonia and even death,” Moodley-Naidoo said.

“The disease can affect both children and adults, but the illness can also be effectively prevented through vaccination. It is important for people to be aware of the vaccine schedules.

“With measles, prevention is far better than cure. Taking pre-emptive measures can go a long way in halting this outbreak in our communities,” she said.

We are saying therefore that this case is not ours