The National Institute of Communicable Diseases warned the public about the concerning amount of pertussis cases in South Africa is increasing.
According to the institute`s statement on Wednesday, the
NCID said 147 cases have been notified from the start of 2022 and that there was a
steady increase in the number of cases reported earlier until this month.
Of the 147 reported cases, the majority , 42% are said to
be from Western Cape. 77% were children under the age of five years with 89
children being younger than three months old.
In July and August 2022, the cases that were reported were
evenly distributed across provinces and in keeping with numbers reported before
Covid-19. However, in September the majority of cases that were reported were from
the Western Cape.
The NICD has advised parents to ensure that children are up
to date with vaccinations and to seek medical attention early on, especially
for children who are under the age of five.
By Lulama Klassen
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