Measles cluster in Pretoria: parents urged to check children's immunisations
Pretoria health authorities have sounded a warning after the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) recorded 215 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in the City of Tshwane between 29 December 2025 and 16 August 2026. The figure makes Tshwane the Gauteng metro with the highest cumulative total during that reporting period.
The NICD’s weekly situation report, published on 24 August, shows the outbreak remains active in the metro: 32 of the Tshwane cases occurred in the four-week period from 19 July to 16 August. The institute uses a threshold of three or more cases in a health district within four weeks to define a laboratory-confirmed measles outbreak, and an outbreak is only considered over when no new cases are reported for 42 days.
"The NICD cautioned that case figures may change as new laboratory and provincial information becomes available," the report said.
Beyond clinical case numbers, the NICD’s combined clinical and wastewater surveillance detected measles virus in both clinical samples and wastewater from Pretoria during epidemiological week 33, signalling ongoing community circulation. Wastewater evidence was also found in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni that week, even where clinical cases were not reported for the same period.
Public-health officials and clinicians warn that measles remains highly contagious and can cause serious illness, especially in infants and unvaccinated children. The national picture remains concerning: between 29 December 2025 and 16 August 2026 the NICD recorded 3 891 laboratory-confirmed measles cases nationally, an increase of 144 from the previous weekly update.
- Children aged 1–14 account for 2 619 cases (67.3% nationally).
- Infants under one year accounted for 477 cases.
- People aged 15 and older made up 794 cases.
Within Gauteng, the NICD listed the following confirmed case totals for the reporting period:
| District | Laboratory-confirmed cases |
|---|---|
| City of Tshwane (Pretoria) | 215 |
| City of Johannesburg | 195 |
| Ekurhuleni | 8 |
| West Rand | 3 |
| Gauteng total | 423 |
The NICD report also notes that case counts may change as laboratories and provinces submit updated data. For Pretoria residents, that means the local situation can evolve rapidly, and health services are urging families to act now rather than wait.
Advice for local parents and carers focuses on vaccination and early recognition of symptoms. Key recommended steps include:
- Check children's vaccination records and ensure routine measles-containing vaccine doses have been administered.
- Speak to your local clinic about catch-up immunisation if your child missed scheduled doses.
- Be alert for measles symptoms — high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and the characteristic rash — and seek clinical care promptly.
- Keep infants and vulnerable household members away from anyone with suspected measles until a clinician confirms it is not measles.
Local clinics in Tshwane are the frontline for vaccination and case reporting. Health workers remind the public that routine immunisation is the most effective defence against measles and that high community coverage is needed to stop transmission.
For now, the NICD’s combined clinical and wastewater detection in Pretoria underlines that measles virus is present in the community. Parents, schools and childcare centres should treat the alert seriously and use routine public-health channels to access vaccination and information.
Officials will continue to publish updates as new laboratory and provincial data arrive; residents can expect further communication from the NICD and Tshwane health services if the situation changes.
