Published Date: 2010-03-07 02:33:29
Subject: PRO/EAFR> Measles - South Africa (08): (Western Cape)
Archive Number: 20100307.205985
MEASLES - SOUTH AFRICA (08): (WESTERN CAPE)
*******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Thu 4 Mar 2010
Source: Eye Witness News, (South Africa) [edited]
http://www.ewn.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=33975
Measles outbreak under control: Western Cape
--------------------------------------------
Western Cape Health MEC [member of the executive council] Theuns
Botha on Thursday [4 March 2010] visited the measles isolation ward
at Tygerberg Hospital. He was assessing the extent of the outbreak in
the province, which has caused the hospital to set aside 2 isolation
wards for children.
Since September last year [2009], 139 children have been admitted and
treated at the hospital for measles. More than 80 of those children
have been under 1 year old and 6 have died. Botha was quick to state
the outbreak was under control.
Health officials have singled out hotspots including Khayelitsha,
Delft, and Strand where a vaccination programme was rolled out at
clinics. He added immunizations were rolled out at schools in those
areas to prevent the disease from spreading. Botha assured
vaccinations were readily available at clinics and state hospitals
across the province.
[Byline: Rafiq Wagiet]
--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The recent measles update released on 3 Mar 2010 by the National
Institute of Communicable Diseases in South Africa indicates that the
Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal Provinces had the highest number of
new cases at 110 each. A total of 8239 measles cases have been
confirmed in South Africa since January 2009
http://www.nicd.ac.za/measles_out/measles_current.pdf.
A map of South Africa showing the provinces can be seen at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_South_Africa and the
HealthMap/ProMED interactive map of the country is available at
http://healthmap.org/r/018L. - Mod.JFW]