Almost a thousand children in the Western Cape have contracted measles since the outbreak in September, 13 of whom have died of related complications.
Also, an outbreak of diarrhoea had caused the deaths of 12 children.
Faiza Steyn of the provincial health department said the province had recorded 968 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles, of which the majority was from the Cape Town metropolitan area. At least five measles-related deaths occurred this month, she said.
Gauteng has had the most cases of measles, with 4 608; KwaZulu-Natal has had 1 251 and the Western Cape has had the third-highest number.
Steyn said this year's diarrhoea outbreak represented a 10 percent decrease in the number of cases recorded this time last year. Diarrhoea was an annual occurrence in hot weather combined with poor sanitation
Densely populated areas such as Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Phillipi, Cross Roads, Delft, Mfuleni, Du Noon and Nomzamo in Strand along with parts of the Overberg and the Winelands were worst affected by both measles and diarrhoea, said Steyn.
She earlier told the Cape Argus that diarrhoea, as one of the measles complications, could contribute to deaths associated with measles as well as those linked to pneumonia.
Last year, 37 city children under the age of five died of diarrhoea during February, March and April.
Also, an outbreak of diarrhoea had caused the deaths of 12 children.
Faiza Steyn of the provincial health department said the province had recorded 968 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles, of which the majority was from the Cape Town metropolitan area. At least five measles-related deaths occurred this month, she said.
Gauteng has had the most cases of measles, with 4 608; KwaZulu-Natal has had 1 251 and the Western Cape has had the third-highest number.
Steyn said this year's diarrhoea outbreak represented a 10 percent decrease in the number of cases recorded this time last year. Diarrhoea was an annual occurrence in hot weather combined with poor sanitation
Densely populated areas such as Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Phillipi, Cross Roads, Delft, Mfuleni, Du Noon and Nomzamo in Strand along with parts of the Overberg and the Winelands were worst affected by both measles and diarrhoea, said Steyn.
She earlier told the Cape Argus that diarrhoea, as one of the measles complications, could contribute to deaths associated with measles as well as those linked to pneumonia.
Last year, 37 city children under the age of five died of diarrhoea during February, March and April.
- Cape Argus
No comments:
Post a Comment