From epidemiological week 1 to week 18 of 2025,182 laboratory-confirmed measles cases and 280 rubella cases were reported by the Measles Reference Laboratory at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa. Of the 182 laboratory-confirmed measles cases reported since the beginning of the year, 104 cases were in Gauteng province and 42 were reported in Free State province.
Most of the measles cases were reported in the Lejweleputswa district, Matjhabeng subdistrict, where a measles outbreak was detected in epidemiological week 10 of 2025. Meanwhile, 280 laboratory-confirmed rubella cases were reported in the country, with 107 rubella cases reported in North West province. Both measles and rubella affected mostly children aged 1-15 years, with an increase in several measles and rubella cases in the age group 15-49 years in the fever rash surveillance used to monitor measles and rubella virus circulation.
Highlights
Measles Surveillance
- From epidemiological week 1 to week 18 of 2025, the National Measles Laboratory Surveillance detected 182 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in the country. Gauteng province continues to report measles cases, with 104 measles confirmed cases reported from epidemiological week 1 to week 17 of 2025. Most measles cases were detected in the City of Johannesburg, with 64 cases, 26 in the City of Tshwane, and 12 in the Ekurhuleni district from week 1 to week 18 of 2025. The other two measles confirmed cases in the Gauteng province were reported in the Sedibeng district in epidemiological weeks 2 and 5 of 2025.
- Measles cases were also reported in other provinces, with the Eastern Cape province, KwaZulu-Natal province, and Limpopo province reporting the lowest number of measles cases.
Rubella Surveillance
- From week 1 to week 18 of 2025, 280 laboratory-confirmed rubella cases were reported in South Africa through measles and rubella surveillance. Rubella virus circulation is still Ngaka Modiri Molema District in Northwest province.
- Rubella infection affected mostly children from 1 to 14 years of age, with the population affected mostly being those aged 5 to 9 years. Fourteen(14) rubella cases were reported in persons aged 15-49 years.
Since the beginning of 2025, the number of fever rash samples submitted to the National Measles reference laboratory at NICD for measles and rubella surveillance, the rubella virus has still been detected more than the measles virus. The rubella virus transmission has decreased nationally, with sustained rubella transmission seen in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, North West province and Namakwa District in the Northern Cape province from week 1 to week 18 of 2025.
The measles transmission still continues in areas with low measles immunity in the community with measles transmission continuing in Gauteng province and a measles outbreak detected in Lejweleputswa district in the Free State province.
Routine measles vaccination should be strengthened, and measles catch-up doses should continue in healthcare facilities for the children who missed their scheduled doses.
Health awareness is recommended in the areas where rubella cases are circulating. Although rubella infections cause mild disease in adults and children, women in their first trimester of pregnancy who acquire rubella for the first time are at risk of passing rubella onto their foetus, with consequential congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).
