The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has warned that infant immunisation in the province has fallen to 67.4 - a 27.6 shortfall from the 95 target that public health experts use to maintain herd immunity.
According to the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, the decline has already produced tangible consequences. On 6 October health teams ran a mass vaccination campaign in Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats after 60 confirmed measles cases were recorded, a response designed to protect the youngest children.
Measles poses a real danger to unvaccinated infants because the virus can cause severe complications and hospitalisation. National surveillance shows measles activity has increased this year, adding urgency to the province's call for rapid catch-up immunisations.