The Garden Route District Municipality officially announced a series of suspected Rubella cases, also called German measles, in George.
According to Herman Pieters, the head of communications, this constitutes a ‘pocket outbreak,’ with suspected cases identified in Thembalethu, Borchards, Rosedale, Parkdene, Conville, and Pacaltsdorp.
Children under the age of 13 were affected. ‘What could have contributed could have been close contact at playgroups, afterschool facilities and creches as well as not seeking immediate medical care for children who presented with symptoms, thereby delaying isolation. There is also a lack of knowledge, and symptoms could be mistaken for flu,’ said Pieters in a statement to the George Herald
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The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) Centre for Vaccines and Immunology (CVI) has analysed available data, confirming 11 rubella cases in the George area. This signals a potential outbreak if preventive measures aren’t implemented promptly.
As reported by News24, Nevashan Govender of the NICD said that while there’s an increase in rubella cases in the Western Cape, particularly in the Garden Route District, it hasn’t escalated into a full-blown outbreak yet. According to Govender, the population’s vulnerability to rubella has risen due to reduced community circulation of the virus since 2020.
Rubella symptoms include a rash, low-grade fever, nausea, sore throat, red eyes, headache, cough, runny nose, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. The rash typically begins on the face and neck before spreading to the body, lasting about five days.
While usually mild in children and adults, rubella can severely affect pregnant women, potentially leading to congenital rubella syndrome in fetuses. This syndrome may cause various complications at birth, such as heart and eye problems, intellectual disabilities, low birth weight, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and deafness.
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