Highlights
- The NICD has tested 6422 serum samples for measles since epidemiological week 40, 2022, of which 1091 (17%) were confirmed positive. In the past week (week 24 up until week 25, 26/06/2023) there have been 11 laboratory-confirmed measles cases detected across the country, of which the majority were from Limpopo (9).
- The percentage of samples testing positive (PTP) decreased from 19% (9/47) of samples tested in week 24 to 17% (2/12) of samples tested in week 25.
- In week 24 (week ending 19/06/2023), Limpopo province reported a total of 7 new measles cases, while sporadic cases were reported in KwaZulu-Natal (1) and Mpumalanga (1).
- Measles-confirmed cases have not been detected for more than two incubation periods (42 days) in the Northern Cape and North West provinces. This means the outbreak may be declared over in these provinces. The outbreak in the Free State and the Western Cape provinces is likely to meet these criteria within the next week or two. Unfortunately, the outbreak cannot however be declared over in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga because of ongoing sporadic cases.
- In Limpopo province, eight cases were reported in the Waterberg District in weeks 24 and 25, and one in Sekukhune District. Most 50% (4/8) of the cases were children aged 1-4 years.
- The vaccination campaign in Limpopo province targeting the 5-15 years age group has come to an end with overall vaccination coverage of 56%. To achieve a higher coverage rate, the NICD is informed that a mop-up campaign will be conducted from 24 July 2023 to 31 August 2023.
- For Limpopo province, At the district level, the reproduction number as of 2023-06-14 was estimated to be 1.1 (0.69 – 1.4) in Waterberg, suggesting that infection incidence may be increasing, and 1 (0.6 – 1.6) in Greater Sekhukhune, suggesting that infection incidence is stable; however, the small number of cases overall leads to substantial uncertainty in these estimates. Greater Sekhukhune has reported only one case since the last report.
Outbreak overview
From epidemiological week 40 2022 to week 25 2022, the NICD has tested 6422 serum samples for measles of which 1091 (17%) were confirmed measles cases. From epidemiological week 40 of 2022 to week 25 of 2023, 1083 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported from eight provinces with declared measles outbreaks; Limpopo (502 cases), Mpumalanga (111 cases), North West (217 cases), Gauteng (178 cases), Free State (32 cases), Western Cape (15), KwaZulu-Natal (21) and Northern Cape (7). The number of blood samples and throat swabs submitted to the NICD for measles serology and PCR testing decreased from 47 in week 24 to 12 tests in 25
