Cape Town – A nurse expert has called for an increase in measles vaccinations in Gauteng, because the province continues to deal with an outbreak
Gauteng recently recorded 181 laboratory -confirmed cases, identified with hotspots in Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
Head of the Academic Division of the School of Nursing at the University of the West -Kaap, Assistantial teacher Talitha Crowley, said that vaccination coverage in the province that is said to be less than 75%is far below the threshold to prevent outbreaks.
“To prevent an outbreak of measles, we actually need less than 5% that have not been vaccinated in a community. So 95% vaccination coverage.”
Crowley gave potential reasons why people were not vaccinated.
“During and after the Covid Pandemie we had many people who did not have access to vaccinations. Some people come from marginalized communities, and parents can hesitate to vaccinate their children. So there can be many reasons.
Crowley said that recent campaigns in the Cape Metro resulted in a vaccination coverage of 90% in the province.
Carlo Petersen
www.ewn.co.za