• Parents say nurses do not explain which vaccine their children are getting or why they need more than one measles shot.

• Since January 2025, Gauteng has recorded 370 measles cases despite a province-wide vaccination campaign in 2023.

Some mothers in Gauteng are worried about the safety of the new measles-rubella (MR) vaccine being rolled out across the province.

The Department of Health is targeting over four million children at schools, crèches and in communities following a measles outbreak that has already seen 370 confirmed cases in 2025.

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But some parents are not convinced the vaccine works.

Ntswaki Motaung said she got a letter in 2022 from her daughter's preschool informing her that nurses would visit to give children a measles top-up.

"I took my daughter to our nearby clinic and she was given the top up. It's 2025 now and I received another letter notifying me that nurses will be visiting my daughter's school and that I must give consent for another measles vaccine," she said.

"I am asking myself what was wrong with the first vaccine and if this one will fully protect my child," said Motaung.

She also said health workers are not doing enough to inform parents about what vaccines are being given.

"My problem is that when I ask what vaccine my daughter is given, nurses will say that I ask too much with an attitude meanwhile it's my right to know as a parent," she said.

In a statement, Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko urged parents to sign and return the vaccine consent forms.

She said: "The vaccine is safe, free and has proven to prevent severe complications and disabilities associated with measles and rubella."

The MR vaccine was added to the government immunisation schedule in late 2024.