The public has been warned about the rising cases of rubella across the country.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a total number of 10137 positive cases of rubella have been identified in the country between Jan and November 2024, which is higher than cases recorded last year. Rubella is a highly contagious but vaccine-preventable disease.
The majority of cases were recorded in Gauteng and the Western Cape provinces, while more than 90% of the total cases are in children under 15 years of age, accounting for over 8300 cases, with only one patient over the age of 50 years.
Although rubella in children is a mild, self-limiting illness and complications are rare, the risk of transmission remains high amongst children, especially because many children entered the year 2024 without prior exposure to rubella or without being vaccinated against rubella. If children are not vaccinated against rubella and never come into contact with the rubella virus through natural infection, children will remain susceptible to rubella.
The disease spreads from person to person through droplets coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. Children and pregnant women are at a higher risk of severe health complications from rubella.
Monitor your children’s health and watch for common symptoms such as rash, fever, sore throat, headache, cough, runny nose, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and nausea. Symptoms develop 2 to 3 weeks after exposure.
Rubella infection during the first trimester of pregnancy poses a risk of congenital rubella syndrome, which can result in serious birth defects in the unborn child.
The public healthcare facilities will remain accessible throughout the festive season.
While there is no need for public panic, members of the public are urged to seek medical attention if they exhibit suspected rubella symptoms.
Early detection and treatment are essential to prevent further transmission.
A breakdown of cases per province is shown below:
Eastern Cape- 1113
Free State- 471
Gauteng – 2603
KwaZulu-Natal – 1996
Mpumalanga – 665
Limpopo – 190
North West – 899
Northern Cape – 862
Western Cape – 1338
For more information and media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Foster Mohale
Health Departmental Spokesperson
Foster.mohale@health.gov.za
