Measles Campaigns -what is this all about?

Measles is a highly contagious childhood illness that, prior to the introduction of a measles vaccine in 1963, caused an estimated 2,6million deaths each year.  As time passes and through successful vaccination campaigns this number has been slowly dwindling. During 2000– 2018, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 23.2 million deaths, according to the World Health Immunisation. Global measles deaths have decreased by 73% from an estimated 536 000 in 2000* to 142 000 in 2018.

But despite successful vaccination, occasional measles cases still occur. An outbreak is considered when there is more than 3 measles cases in one district within one month. The second half of 2025 saw an outbreak in Mamelodi in Pretoria, which was brought under control. At the time of updating this feature (March 2026) a new outbreak has occured in various prominent high schools in Pretoria and the NDOH is targeting these facilities with measles boosters.

It is worth noting that the Department of Health will only know about those measles cases that gets reported. Not all children get equally sick, and milder cases may not see a doctor. Healthcare workers have the responsibility to report measles cases, but we know that this does not always happen in South Africa. Thus, if four cases have been reported, we can know that there are many that we do not know about.

What is measles?

In short, measles is a contagious disease caused by the measles virus. Patients with measles present with fever and with a rash. The rash looks like small, red, flat spots that start on the face/head and then spread downwards over the body. The rash does not form blisters, nor is it itchy or painful. Other signs include cough, conjunctivitis (red eyes) and coryza (running nose). Complications of measles can include diarrhea, dehydration, middle ear infection, brain infection (encephalitis), blindness and death. Complications are more serious in those who catch measles as young infants (under 2 years of age), in children who are malnourished and people who are immunosuppressed. You can read more about measles here.

How does measles spread?

The measles virus is the most contagious transmissible virus known. It spreads through coughing and sneezing, and close contact with secretions. It remains infective for up to two hours on surfaces and in the air. In an unvaccinated group of people, someone infected with measles will spread the disease to 90% of people he/she is in contact with.

So why do outbreaks occur if we immunize against measles?

The first reason is because the virus is so very contagious. If there is even a slight opportunity it will spread.

Two doses of a measles vaccine are 95% effective against measles. This means that 95 out of 100 people vaccinated will be protected against the disease. The remaining 5% will remain at risk. People who choose not to vaccinate themselves and their children will also be exposed.

Current outbreaks were expected. In 2021, a record high of 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose. This was of course due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Twenty-two countries experienced large and disruptive outbreaks. A joint publication by the WHO and CDC showed declines in vaccine coverage, weakened measles surveillance, and continued interruptions and delays in immunization activities due to COVID-19, as well as persistent large outbreaks in 2022.

Two doses of measles vaccine are needed in more than 95% of people to ensure herd immunity. The above reports shows that the world is well under that, with only 81% of children receiving their first measles-containing vaccine dose, and only 71% of children receiving their second measles-containing vaccine dose.

This means that measles is an imminent threat in every region of the world, and that your own child may also not be safe.

How do measles campaigns prevent measles?

Immunization prevents disease in two ways:

• It protects the vaccinated person by helping their body build immunity against the disease
• It prevents the spread of the disease. This is especially important to protect vulnerable people in a population. Your healthy child may contract measles and recover quickly, but he/she may spread it to a small baby who gets very sick or even dies from it.

In order to prevent measles from spreading, at least 95% of the community needs to be immune. During a measles campaign mass vaccination efforts are made to ensure that everyone gets a booster dose.

What does a campaign entail?

The purpose of most campaigns is that every child between the ages of 6 months and 15 years should receive a dose of the measles vaccine.

This is regardless of whether their immunizations are up-to-date, and of when the last measles vaccine was given. This dose is a booster dose to ensure that they are protected.

Where can I get this vaccination done?

You can get the measles vaccine at no cost at any public clinic. Alternatively, at a minimal fee of R70 you can get your child vaccinated at our clinics.

Note that we do accept campaign walk-ins, but encourage clients to phone and book a spot to prevent unnecessary waiting times.

Won’t my child receive the vaccine at school?

The Department of Health will also be running the campaign at public schools, so if your child is in a public school he may get the opportunity to get vaccinated there. However, you will not know if this will happen and when, and many parents choose to get it done on their own speed. If your child is in a private school or in a day care facility or nursery school, you would need to get the immunization done at a clinic.

Should the DOH visit the school after you got the vaccination done you can simply indicate that the child already received the vaccine elsewhere.

Can the measles vaccine do harm?

Any vaccine has the potential to cause side-effects like mild flu-symptoms, fever and a rash. However, the measles vaccine is a vaccine with a very good safety profile, and serious side-effects are very rare.

It should also be noted that campaigns like this one have been running regularly in various countries every year, because measles is still such a global health threat. Getting additional doses of the measles vaccine is not harmful and can only serve to boost immunity.

If the vaccine is supplied by the Department of Health, why am I paying at a private facility?

This is a common question that parents ask about all Department of Health vaccines. Although vaccines are available at no cost at public facilities, it should be noted that the service still runs at high cost. Think of the rent and maintenance of the facility, salaries of staff members, etc. This cost is covered by our Department of Health. A private facility needs to pay these costs from fees charged to clients.

Further questions

Please feel free to contact us if you have any further queries on clinic.femina@parentwood.co.za or sending a Whats App message to 082 837 2362.