Measles Outbreak: Why Vaccines Matter

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) have intensified public health response due to an outbreak of measles cases across the province with a total of 181 confirmed cases reported from 1 January to 13 June 2025 mainly emanating from the Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni districts.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by the measles virus, the first symptoms of measles include a fever and a rash that looks like small, flat, red spots that start on the head. Other signs of measles include a cough, red eyes and running nose. Complications from measles may include diarrhoea, dehydration, blindness, and death and complications are more serious for infants under 2 years of age, malnourished children, and people who are immunocompromised.

Measles is transferred through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets come into contact with people who are not immune to the disease. Measles is very contagious and can infect 9 out of 10 people nearby if they are not protected. Measles can be prevented by getting vaccinated with the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, two doses of the vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles.

The GDoH has begun an aggressive targeted vaccination campaign in schools, vaccinating over 18 000 learners in more than 15 schools in Mamelodi and 16 schools in Winterveld which are active hotspot areas with 35 and 10 reported cases respectively. The rise in cases can be attributed to an immunity gap in the province, specifically among children who have not received a second dose or never received the vaccine.

What are vaccines?

Vaccines are a safe way of protecting your body from harmful diseases by using your body’s natural defences to build resistance and strengthen your immune system. Vaccines use an antigen (a weakened or dead form of viruses and bacteria) to train your body to create antibodies. Antibodies are proteins that are produced by your immune system to fight diseases, once our immune system is exposed to a vaccine we can stay protected against diseases for years or even a lifetime. Most vaccines are given via injection, but some can be given orally or nasally.

Why vaccines are important?

Vaccines protect us and the people around us from illnesses and disease, including people who cannot be vaccinated like babies and the seriously ill, and have protected us from diseases like Ebola, COVID-19 and Cervical cancer. Vaccines are safe and one of the best measures to prevent us from being seriously injured by vaccine-preventable diseases. In the past 50 years, global immunisation efforts have saved at least 154 million lives with 101 million of those lives being infants. The measles vaccine is a large contributor to reducing infant mortality, accounting for 60% of the lives saved due to immunisation.

Vaccination efforts have allowed more infants to see their first birthday and live healthy lives in adulthood. These efforts have shown us what is possible when many people work together and have proven that we can make vaccines accessible to all people and ensuring that everyone has the chance to live a healthy life.