A measles outbreak that began in Limpopo has spread to five provinces, and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has urged parents to vaccinate their children.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has urged parents to get their children vaccinated after a measles outbreak that has spread to five provinces in fewer than two months, with data revealing dismal vaccination rates.

The first outbreak was confirmed in Limpopo in October 2022.

"It is never too late to vaccinate," the NICD's statement reads, adding that major vaccination campaigns have commenced or are being planned countrywide.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. The most common symptoms are fever and a rash that looks like small, flat, red spots all over the body, that do not form blisters.

Other symptoms include a cough, conjunctivitis and a runny nose.

The virus can cause severe complications like encephalitis (an infection in the brain) as well as blindness, diarrhoea and dehydration. It can be deadly, and infants under two years of age are most at risk.

Measles vaccines are given routinely at six and 12 months of age. Unvaccinated children who are older than six months can receive free vaccinations at...