JOHANNESBURG - There is a high likelihood that the measles outbreak in Limpopo could spread to the rest of South Africa due to population movement.“Because measles is highly contagious and there is a lot of population movement within the country for various reasons, the risk of it spreading beyond Limpopo is really high and all provinces need to be on high alert,” said Dr Mercy Kamupira, a health specialist at the United Children’s Fund South Africa.
Professor Susan Goldstein, the deputy director at the Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science, said provinces with low vaccination rates, like Limpopo, remain at higher risk of further outbreaks. Goldstein said malnourished children were at a greater risk of suffering serious, and even fatal complications if they contract measles.