Health

1.  A National and Provincial circular was issued to staff to alert them to the measles outbreak and to be at heightened vigilance for possible cases. Subsequent to this circular was also set out the Provincial Disease Outbreak Response Management Plan which staff should follow to detect and investigate suspected cases and where necessary, contain localised outbreaks. Part of this Disease Outbreak Response Management Plan includes a national measles vaccination campaign, which is currently ongoing nationally and across the Western Cape. Media Campaigns are flighted to create awareness of the measles risk and to urge parents and carers to have their children vaccinated.

2.  The measles vaccinations are done at public health clinics, private clinics and through the school-based vaccination programme. Where there is capacity, School health nurses are visiting all public and special schools in the province to administer the measles booster vaccine to children between the age of 6 months and 15 years with parental consent. All City of Cape Town and Government clinics, most hospitals (inclusive of Red Cross and Tygerberg), and all our Public-Private-Partners are on board.

3. Yes, the Department has sufficient supply as there are 1 727 392 children under the age of 15 in the province that need to be vaccinated. The initial mandate was to vaccinate all children under 5 years.  The initial order for Measbio®, was based on the Census population estimate, plus 10% buffer, was placed in December. Delivery of the vaccines ordered by districts started early in January. 

Since the changed mandate in January to vaccinate all under 15-year-old children, the National Department of Health through Biovac imported the Cipla vaccine and vaccines were equitably apportioned to provinces according to the population estimates.