Four schools were closed in the Northern Cape on Thursday last week after an outbreak of measles, with cases having rapidly escalated from 16 children to 130 – mainly grade 4 to 6 pupils.
Education Department spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said the outbreak was recorded at the Delportshoop Combined School, but that other schools were also closed in efforts to contain the outbreak.
He said only grade 12 pupils would return to school to write their preparatory examinations on Friday, while the rest were expected back on Monday, reports News24.
All four schools were being disinfected, and pupils were being encouraged to wear masks to prevent transmission of the highly contagious disease.
The Department of Health was to conduct an awareness campaign in the affected areas and that vaccinations against measles would be done this week.
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