The FF Plus is concerned that the Department of Health in Mpumalanga is not doing enough to curb the spread of measles among the people of the province.
During a Provincial Legislature session in December last year, the FF Plus emphasised the urgency of a vaccination campaign.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed in a statement that 79 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles have been reported in Mpumalanga since 1 September.
It follows the Ehlanzeni District being declared a measles outbreak area in October last year.
The age group most severely affected by the disease is from age five to nine. Out of the 79 confirmed cases, the vaccination status of 53 was unknown, nine were vaccinated and 17 were unvaccinated.
Government must intensify its awareness campaign for routine measles vaccinations for children and combine it with mass vaccination campaigns in areas with high incidence and mortality rates.
These are key strategies for public health to reduce measles mortality.
The Department's health spokesperson, Dumisani Malamule, said in response to a query that the Department is on high alert, and has also developed strategies to curb and prevent further spread of the disease.
The FF Plus is, however, still waiting to hear what these strategies entail.
The Department must take control of the situation immediately.
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