Rubella outbreak said to be caused by lack of vaccination

The rubella outbreak, which surged to more than 10 000 cases at the end of November, was caused partly by lack of vaccination among children born in the past  five years, says the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). 

The highest recorded number of cases of the viral infection also known as German measles was in Gauteng and the Western Cape. More than 90% of the total were children under 15.  There was only one patient over 50, according to health department data. ..