Pertussis cases are rapidly increasing in the Western Cape

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