NICD SAYS IT FORESAW RISE IN MEASLES CASES IN JANUARY

JOHANNESBURG - The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said it foresaw the continued rise of cases in measles-affected provinces in January.

The infectious diseasespread to five provinces, recording over 459 laboratory cases.

The NICD, along with the Department of Health, first confirmed a measles outbreak after approximately 200 cases were recorded in the country in December.

Limpopo still recorded the highest number of cases.

The NICD urged residents to vaccinate at their local clinics.

Forty-three new laboratory cases of measles were confirmed across the country since last week.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that during the COVID-19 pandemic, immunisation protocols for measles were halted on a global scale.

This caused a perfect storm of conditions for measles outbreaks in many other countries.

The NICD said that children were the most at risk for contracting measles, reiterating that it was never too late to vaccinate.