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.
The institute said that vaccination against rubella was not part of its routine EPI programme before 2024.
“The department of health is presently rolling out the combined measles-rubella-containing vaccine (MRCV), which will be administered to six- and 12-months old children as soon as each province exhausts their stock of measles-containing vaccine (MCV),” the NICD said in a statement.
“The nonpharmaceutical interventions that were applied during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic interrupted transmission of rubella, and for the period 2020-2022 there were almost no rubella cases identified from the NDoH/NICD fever-rash surveillance.”
The disease spreads from person to person through droplets coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. Pregnant women and children were more susceptible. Symptoms develop two to three weeks after exposure, said health department spokesperson Foster Mohale.
“Rubella in children is a mild, self-limiting illness and complications are rare, but the risk of transmission remains high among children especially because many children entered the year 2024 without prior exposure to rubella, or without being vaccinated against rubella,” said Mohale.
“If children are not vaccinated against rubella, and never come into contact with rubella virus through natural infection, children will remain susceptible to rubella.
“Members of the public are urged to present themselves or their loved ones with suspected rubella symptoms without delay for early detection, effective treatment and to prevent further transmission,” said Mohale.
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