r/southafrica • u/MalemasMucusPlug • Jan 27 '26
Discussion Do something good this year: vaccinate yourselves and your kids.
Measles is making a comeback, not just in SA, but in many countries that send us their tourists.
The UK just lost their measles elimination status and the US is very close to losing theirs.
Measles incidence has increased from 1.78/100,000 to 4.48/100,000 from 2024 to 2025.
So far this year, the Western Cape has had more measles cases than it had for the entire 2024.
The MMR does not cause autism.
The MMR is free at any government clinic (for kids) or can cost between R 300 and R 750 at a private clinic.
Also, get your flu vaccine in March/April.
Around 11k South Africans die from the flu each year. The vaccine is a cheap (R200-ish) way to prevent the flu.
The 2026 flu season is predicted to be quite severe based on what's happening in the US & elsewhere.
Protect yourselves, your loved ones, and the people around you.
[1] http://nicd.ac.za/measles-rubella-dashboard/
[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgjw0xegxglo
[3] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles
[4] https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/is-there-an-autism-epidemic
[5] https://www.bonitas.co.za/news-article/getting-to-grips-with-flu/
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u/New-Owl-2293 Jan 27 '26
My friend did not vaccinate her kids because of autism fears, all 3 have autism anyway. And are now at risk of measles to boot!
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
Autistic kids are better than dead kids.
Not that any vaccine is linked to autism.
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u/deadly_love3 rapture-proof autistic poes Feb 03 '26
vaccines do increase chances of autism!
by making them live longer
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u/just_peachy1000 Jan 27 '26
Just to be clear there is no vaccine that causes autism. The doctor that produced that report has his license stripped.
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u/shrunkenshrubbery Jan 27 '26
We all know it's Tylenol that causes the autism and the vaccine is perfectly safe.
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u/Pleasant-Host-47 Jan 27 '26
Reddit doesn’t like sarcasm my guy 🤣🤣🤣. If it’s anything I laughed hard.
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u/Thepuppeteer777777 Aristocracy Jan 27 '26
If measles makes a comeback im screwed because im allergic to the vaccine.
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
Encourage those around you to get vaccinated.
Measles is back already, just not enough for us to lose our measles-free status, yet.
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u/teetaps Jan 28 '26
And THIS is why communities have to vaccinate. Herd immunity protects this person because WE ALL don’t contract and spread it to someone who cannot fight it
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u/Beyond_the_one The opposite of efficiency, which is to say, justice Jan 27 '26
what are you allergic to in the current vaccine?
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u/Thepuppeteer777777 Aristocracy Jan 27 '26
I'm not sure what exactly I'm allergic to in it but last time I got a measles vaccine I ended up in the hospital. With blood pressure so high they didn't want me to even walk to the toilet to pee. I was getting extremely bad flu symptoms as well. The doc said if I didn't come in when I did I would have had a severe stroke.
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u/ichosehowe Landed Gentry Jan 27 '26
Did you do the two doses or just the one? If it's just the one you're sitting at 93ish % protected and the vaccine protection should last the rest of your life so you're at least partially protected.
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u/LilliJay Jan 27 '26
You don't need more than one in your lifetime I don't think. It's a one and done type of vaccine. You shouldn't die cause you should get another one!
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u/Thepuppeteer777777 Aristocracy Jan 27 '26
I saw. Im glad for that because I really don't want to go through that again.
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u/Beyond_the_one The opposite of efficiency, which is to say, justice Jan 27 '26
EEEK.
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u/Thepuppeteer777777 Aristocracy Jan 27 '26
Yeah it was very bad. I was convinced I was going to die in the hospital.
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u/GrouchyPhoenix Jan 27 '26
Any possibility of getting the vaccine administered under control conditions? Like being admitted to hospital, etc.?
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u/thewonderingcursor Jan 27 '26
I was not expecting to find so much support for vaccines in the comments section. Thank you to everyone and OP for supporting science, medicine and facts. Highlight of my day!
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u/KinkyStonerVibes Gauteng Jan 27 '26
SAME. this is literally the best thing I've seen today. Faith in humanity - RESTORED
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u/JAYGAME5601X Gauteng Jan 28 '26
I mean we are talking about fucking Measles so they better fucking do
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u/thedenofwolves Jan 27 '26
We flew from SA to the USA in December and as it turns out the baby in the row next to us had measles. Luckily my one year old is vaccinated and didn’t show any symptoms. Get your vaccinations, and protect our youngest and those who cannot get the vaccine.
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u/EsotericMango Waiting List for Heaven Full Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Please, everyone, get vaccinated. You might not be vulnerable but people around you are. And some of us who are vulnerable can't always get all the vaccines we might need.
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u/Southern-Recover-474 Jan 27 '26
BUT….but…. What about the 5G chips? Is it 6G yet?
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u/Hunter-Abject Jan 27 '26
Not it's 10G now.
When you get the vaccine, you get R10,000.
Trust me, I'm a vaccine
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u/VolantTardigrade Redditor for 24 days Jan 27 '26
I tried to get my flu vaccine last year, and they were out of stock. At multiple places and times. Our vaccine stock is a pile of shit. There are no more Covid vaccines. Shingles vaccines are also gone. Vaccinating against flu and some other things is not always an option because we apparently suck at getting enough supply.
Measles, though. 200%. Any parent who doesn't vaccinate against measles is willingly endangering their child.
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
For sure, but wherever it's an option, go for it.
I was fortunate enough that my medical aid covered the pneumonia vaccine and that was probably one of the best health decisions I've made in my life. Haven't had a severe respiratory illness in four years whereas I'd usually get rekt with bronchitis once a year.
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u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 27 '26
Today I learnt there's a pneumonia vaccine. Definitely going to try and get it, because between asthma and an autoimmune disease, even the flu or a bad cold klap me hard.
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u/VolantTardigrade Redditor for 24 days Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Luckily, I tend not to get the flu/colds or only get mild cases. My last cold only lasted for 3 days before starting to clear and, thankfully, I didn't get any lower respiratory symptoms. Same deal the previous time. During lockdown, everyone in my home had Covid, but I still tested negative. My freaking employer still got me in to clean their home when they had Covid and were staying home (they didn't tell me they were sick. This was after lockdown, so I think I had my shots), and I am so glad I didn't catch it from that selfish Ahole. I only hope that I can keep it up because I don't have medical aid at all XD
I hope the stock issues with the flu vax will be better this year.
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u/Ok-Hunter9484 Western Cape Jan 27 '26
I agree. These are preventable illnesses, and choosing protection is a quiet way of caring for ourselves and one another.
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u/Kyobarry Jan 27 '26
You'd be amazed at how much adults are not vaccinated for this.
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u/KinkyStonerVibes Gauteng Jan 27 '26
I want vaccinated as a kid (almost died of Whooping Cough when I was ten) so I got vaccinated as an adult, best thing I ever did.
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u/mightytrashbag Jan 27 '26
Yes yes yes! It's one of the most important things you can do for your health, these diseases are way more serious than we realise and can have long term health consequences even if you get through the bout of illness "fine". For example, I was reading today about the link between VZV (chickenpox) and developing dementia in the long run.
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u/c0sm1kSt0rm Iron Bru Jan 27 '26
Hard agree! Also try educate those around you, too much misinformation around vaccines and autism and such.
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u/benevolent-badger !ke e: /xarra //ke Jan 27 '26
US is very close to losing theirs
But how does this happen? Does their secretary of health have brain worms or something? And what would the effect be of millions of unvaccinated, virus carrying refugees, spreading all over the globe in a year or so?
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u/BonnyH Jan 28 '26
By there way - my daughter had her 2 MMR vaccines when she was a baby in South Africa. Now she is thinking of starting a family so she went for a full checkup in Australia. They cannot detect that she ever had the Rubella vaccine (29 years ago).
So she had to have it last week.
I checked her vaccination card and she had the 1st one at 10 months and the 2nd one at 15 months? So ladies who want to fall pregnant should maybe check this out.
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u/embarrassed-duck-11 Jan 27 '26
Is measles not a once off vaccine?
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
The MMR is two doses during childhood. I think adults just get a single dose. If you're unsure whether you've had it or whether you're still protected, there's no reason you can't get another shot if you're so inclined.
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u/Dry-Ad-7867 Jan 29 '26
Does the MMR vaccine require a booster, or does our initial vaccination routine from childhood still cover us? I definitely completed that one (I remember being held down by the nurses at age 5 - I did NOT like needles 😭)
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 29 '26
It should still cover you, but there are cases where immunity has waned. You can get another shot as an adult if you want to be safe.
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u/AwarenessMassive9958 Jan 27 '26
Amazing how humans survived to this point
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u/BonnyH Jan 28 '26
I do genealogy and you won’t believe how many South African children died of things like whooping cough, TB and measles, etc. a hundred plus year ago.
I think that’s why we are more sensible and compliant with vaccines than some other countries.
“….in British concentration camps in South Africa during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). Much of that mortality was driven by infectious diseases such as measles, dysentery, typhoid and respiratory illnesses, which today would be largely preventable with modern vaccines, sanitation and supportive care. 
Overall mortality in Boer War concentration camps • In the camps for Boer civilians (mainly women and children), about 27,927 people died during the war, according to official post-war estimates.  • Of those, around 22,000 were children under 16.  • Many of these deaths were due to infectious diseases spread in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions — including measles, typhoid, dysentery and other epidemics” 😷 🥲
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u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 27 '26
As a species, yes, but plenty of individuals die along the way due to preventable illnesses
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Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
[deleted]
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
Forgive my ignorance but dont most schools/ pre schools still ask for a completed vaccination certificate which includes the necessary measles vax top ups?
They ask for it, but it's not enforceable. I.e. there's no legal requirement to deny kids entry if they're unvaccinated.
Is this not just fear mongering OP...respectfully?
Is it fearmongering when, as I've demonstrated, the measles rate has more than doubled, measles cases number in the 1000s each year, measles vaccination rates are dropping, and we're about 30% short of the 95% measles vaccination rate for kids?
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u/yeahisaidwhatisaid Jan 27 '26
Sorry if this is a stupid question but if we were vaccinated against measles as a kid is it a once off thing or should we go again as an adult?
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
If you got both doses, then you should be fine. But if you're not sure, go again - there's no harm in it.
Anecdotally, I know of people whose immunity has waned since their childhood vaccinations, but it's not a widespread thing.
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u/rubygloomm Jan 27 '26
So when I was pregnant, my gynae checked whether I still had immunity from my childhood vaccine (I did), so I’m assuming you don’t need to get it again?
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u/ComplaintNoted Jan 27 '26
If you are someone who is planning on getting pregnant, then gynaecologists can recommend that you test your immunity since contracting measles during pregnancy is very dangerous. Some people get the vaccination as a kid but their immunity wanes and in that case an adult vaccination would be recommended.
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u/BonnyH Jan 28 '26
My daughter wants to fall pregnant this year and she got checked - no Rubella vaccine was detected (even though we had her 2 x shots done as a baby).
So she got hers redone last week.
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u/GuardianMaigrey Rapture-Proof Like a Hilux Jan 27 '26
It's definitely not enforced as well as it should be. My son's preschool just had 2 cases of measles, and they require vaccination records to enrol. Turns out parents fudged them to get in. My older kids were previously at a school that allowed "religious or moral" exemption to vaccines without informing parents that half the school wasn't fully vaccinated.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
You must have missed the "NICD.AC.ZA" link I used as my very first source, huh?
The WHO numbers for South Africa are way higher than the NICD ones, but I specifically used the NICD ones because they're reflective of a local context.
Here are some more resources you might find useful https://www.litasa.org.za/
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u/Honestly_hope Jan 27 '26
Oh I like this conversation and this is so correct. I’m pro anti vax.
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u/Deep-Chipmunk-1935 Jan 27 '26
No, OP isn't fear mongering. Things may be compulsory at public schools, but many of these parents are not vaccinating their children and we can see it in the rise in cases.
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
I was at a local (very religious) coffee shop when I overheard this exchange.
Mom with newborn: We probably won't vaccinate.
Mom with toddler: Oh, why?
MWN: Well vaccines are really only intended for people too poor to afford a hospital, so if she gets sick, we'll just take her to mediclinic.
MWT: Oh that makes sense.
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u/Deep-Chipmunk-1935 Jan 27 '26
This would have upset me to overhear. The world has gone insane!
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u/Beyond_the_one The opposite of efficiency, which is to say, justice Jan 27 '26
Agent Orange is the reason
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u/Deep-Chipmunk-1935 Jan 27 '26
He's one of the reasons the movement is louder, but this has always been a thing sadly.
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u/MinervaKaliamne Jan 27 '26
Nee man fok, people like that shouldn't be having children if they're going to make such stupid decisions for them
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u/sp3rchrg3d Western Cape Jan 27 '26
Yeah, I had some mandatory injections when I was in pre primary.
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u/Pleasant-Host-47 Jan 27 '26
Question - My 4 year old daughter had all her vaccinations and we just need to get her the Tdap booster when she is 6. Should I get her vaccinated again?
Also, I had another measles jab done when I was 12 many moons ago, do I need to get another?
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
Your kid should be fine.
You don't need to get another one since measles vaccination is typically lifelong. If you're concerned, you could get a booster privately or chat to your GP.
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u/Evergreen_Rose Jan 27 '26
I just want to comment on the flu vaccine and how life changing it is. I was always team rough-it-out when it came to the flu and never bothered with the vaccine, until I had a baby and got paranoid about him getting sick. Last year, I vaccinated the whole house against the flu and y'all, it was incredible. While people were dropping like flies around us from the flu, the most any of us got was a little itchy throat and a sniffle that lasted a day. The whole winter, we stayed flu-free. Now, I'm committed to getting the whole family vaccinated against flu every year.
Also, measles, yes, vaccinate against that shit yoh.
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u/ComplaintNoted Jan 27 '26
Depending on your age, you may not have been vaccinated during childhood - it's amongst the newer vaccines. Chicken pox in adulthood is no joke and can lead to shingled. My husband chose to get his vaccination at the same time as our kid since he never had chicken pox or the vaccine as a kid.
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u/197six Western Cape Jan 28 '26
Eish. Is this natural selection at work? As humanity devolves and population continues to increase, nature is trying to cull the population.
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u/Apprehensive_Rent702 Jan 28 '26
A lot of people don’t realise the MMR is free at government clinics and that flu vaccines are so affordable. This is useful info, especially going into winter.
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u/Doc_ENT Jan 29 '26
Pleasantly surprised. I thought I was going to find the antivax quacks in the comments, but was happily disappointed.
Good on you SA.
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u/DerpyMcWafflestomp Western Cape Jan 27 '26
Late GenX..... there's a reasonably good chance I had a measles vaccine (unable to confirm this unfortunately), as I specifically remember having German measles in primary school, and my mom said I had mumps before that. I never had measles, so most likely was vaxed, but I will speak to my doc and hear what he says anyway. Both our kids had the MMR via private sector channels (it seems govt channels still only do measles, not MMR), but again, we'll see what the doc says.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/MalemasMucusPlug Jan 27 '26
If you get a vaccine you don't need to watch anything on your Zune ever again, you get it beamed straight into your brain with 5G speeds.
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