Nearly 5 million measles shots administered - health minister

HEALTH Minister Dr Joe Phaahla says 4.7 million measles doses have been administered since the outbreak of the disease. He said this number consisted of 278,127 doses given to babies 6-11 months; 1.7 million to infants aged 12-59 months, and 2.7 million to children aged 5-15.

The department was working with sister departments and other stakeholders, and had embarked on a nationwide child immunisation campaign against measles, human papillomavirus (HPV) and other vaccine-preventable diseases, he said.

The measles outbreak was reported in six of the nine provinces – Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Free State, North West, and recently the Western Cape, which recorded four laboratory-confirmed cases in Cape Town.

“The protection of children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases is the collective responsibility of parents, guardians and health-care providers. We are grateful to the contribution of Basic Education, but it can only be effective if parents and guardians sign the consent forms, so their children can be immunised at school.”

Phaahla also gave an update on the cholera outbreak, which came to light after two women who had travelled by bus after attending a funeral in Malawi were infected with the disease at the beginning of the month. He said laboratory tests had confirmed that the husband of one of the women had contracted the water-borne illness.

“All three residents of Diepsloot recovered. On Thursday, there were two more confirmed cholera cases in Gauteng. Case No 4 is a man, 28, from Alexandra, treated as an outpatient. Case No 5 was about a man, 24, who had been admitted to Tambo Memorial Hospital, and was already in a critical condition. He subsequently succumbed to the disease,” he said.

To improve health delivery platforms, a number of infrastructure projects were being implemented this year, Phaahla said. Among these was the construction of the new Limpopo Academic Hospital in Polokwane. Once completed, the 488-bed tertiary services and teaching hospital would provide specialist services, eliminating the need to transfer patients to Gauteng for specialist treatments, including advanced surgery and ICU services.

“There are also other major infrastructure projects to replace old hospitals which have already commenced in the Eastern Cape – Zithulele District and Bambisana District hospitals. Again, in Limpopo, the replacement of Siloam Hospital has already started.”