JOHANNESBURG, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South Africa said on Friday that laboratory-confirmed measles cases in the country have so far risen to 766.
"Measles outbreak has now been declared in all South African provinces except for the Eastern Cape," the NICD said in a statement.
In all provinces where an outbreak has been declared, 42 percent of the confirmed cases are children aged five to nine years, 25 percent are aged one to four years, and 19 percent are aged 10 to 14 years, according to the institute.
The NICD urged people to have their children vaccinated against measles and report to the health centers when they experience measles symptoms. Signs and symptoms include fever, rash, cough, red eyes, and runny nose. ■