South Africa’s Gauteng province battle to curtail measles outbreak

By Mark Ogagan

South Africa’s Gauteng province is still battling to contain an outbreak of measles that hit the city since last week.

The Department of Health said that vaccine levels for measles in Johannesburg and Tshwane were below the required level to prevent an outbreak.

The warning comes after the department revealed that the number of cases reported in the province was increasing.

It confirmed that a total of 181 cases were reported in the province since the beginning of 2025.

“Immunisation coverage for the second dose of the measles vaccine remains below 75% in both Johannesburg and Tshwane, significantly below the level required to prevent outbreaks,” said department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.

“This has contributed to the steady increase in cases, including among individuals who had previously been vaccinated, and even among some adults.”