Eliminate Measles

Transcript

Duration: 3min 32 sec

THANDEKA: Imasisi sisifo esinyangekayo kodwa sibulala malunga namawaka asixhenxe abantwana uninzi eAfrika. Imasisi le ingadala ukungaboni nenyumoniya.

Translation: Measles is a curable disease but it kills about 745 000 children each year over half of them in Africa. It can cause illnesses such as blindness and pneumonia. Dr Hussey says measles is no longer a problem in South Africa.

DR. HUSSEY: The primary strategy has been to ensure that all children have access to vaccination. About 10 years ago we were seeing over 40 000 per year in South Africa as a whole. Through centrering the routine immunization services together with supplemental immunization activities, mass campaigns in 1996, now in the year 2000 we have eventually eliminated measles in this country. We’€™ve had no significant problems in fact we had no deaths as a result of measles in the last two to three years.

THANDEKA: Ugqirha Greg Hussey thi ayingo Mzantsi Afrika qha oqhubela phambili ekulweni imasisi koko akho namanye amazwe asixhenxe kwiAfrika esemazantsi ndingabalulala iSwaziland, iLesotho, iAngola, iZimbabwe namanye nje. Uthi esi sisifundo esihle nesibonkalisa ukuba singazilwa izifo ngokumanyana.

DR. HUSSEY: I think that South Africa together with about seven other countries in southern Africa has achieved a really phenomenal success in terms of reducing the scourge as the consequence of measles and I think it’€™s a lesson for all of us in terms of what we can do to achieve good health for all our children in this country.

THANDEKA: Ndimbuzile ukuba yintoni eyenza ukuba kubekho ukuhlasela kwemasisi kwindawo ezithile kweli. Uthi lidcuntswana nje lwezehlo ezimana zisehla kuba abantu abachaphazelekayo abazange bafumane ukutofwa kwemasisi neyinto eyenza ukuba bahlaselwe yimasisi.

DR.HUSSEY: Oh, yes that’€™s to be expected I mean I think that at the moment there are two outbreaks one in Gauteng and one in Mpumalanga and these are small outbreaks numbering less than hundred cases in both instances these are because of the fact that most of the people affected have not been immunized they are older individuals adolescents and adults many of them have come from other countries where vaccination programme is not as strong as it is in South Africa.

THANDEKA: Ingaba ke uMzantsi Afrika wenza njani won ukuba ube unempumelelo engaka? Uthi ihlebo lisekubeni urhulumente ungene ephuma etofa yaye wenza nophando vavanyo ngalomba wemasisi kwingingqi ngeengingqi.

DR. HUSSEY: The receipe for South Africa has been in fact the strengthening the maintainance of routine immunization together with good surveillance as well as supplementary immunization activities.

THANDEKA: Ndimbuzile ukuba kutheni kugxilwe eAfrika nje uthi hayi le ngxaki ifumaneka kakhulu kumazwe ahluphekayo anjenge Afrika, iAsiya (Asia) uthi le yingxa le yingxaki yehlabathi liphela neMerika iyankantsa ukulwa imasisi.

DR HUSSEY: Well, I think it’€™s a problem that affects mainly poorer countries in Africa and South East Asia. It’€™s not an African problem only it’€™s a world wide problem. The Americas are well on the way to virtual eliminating measles so there are about 45 countries in the world as I said mainly in Africa, South East Asia which could be categorized as sort of high prevalence countries and the death rate from measles is still one of the big killers in children and hopefully through the initiatives and through all the partnerships this will happen over the next few years.

E-mail Thandeka Teyise

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  • healthe

    Health-e News is South Africa's dedicated health news service and home to OurHealth citizen journalism. Follow us on Twitter @HealtheNews

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