No vaccine is 100 percent effective but if at least 95 percent of people living in South Africa were vaccinated against measles, the country would virtually eliminate the disease.

No vaccine is 100 percent effective but if at least 95 percent of people living in South Africa were vaccinated against measles, the country would virtually eliminate the disease.

Thousands of babies countrywide are not getting their vaccinations on time, sparking fears that another deadly measles outbreak is imminent.

The main obstacles are vaccine stock-outs at clinics and the incorrect storage of vaccines, which renders them useless.

Recent measles cases were discovered in Johannesburg and Tshwane even amongst children who had been vaccinated – yet there should be no new cases if government’s claim that 100 percent of children were properly immunised in 2012 is true.

While champagne bottles popped on New Year, one-year-old West Rand toddler Adam Liss was struggling.

“He was a fluey, feverish and miserable – he was just a pain,” remembers Adam’s mom, Andrea.

Doctors speculated that Adam had an ear infection until, days later the answer revealed itself in a wave of tell-tale measles spots. Shortly afterwards, Adam’s father, Mathew contracted the virus.

Andrea Liss tweeted this in early January when her son Adam developed measles

Andrea Liss tweeted this in early January when her son Adam developed measles