Health Minister Joe Phaahla has expressed concerns over the potential worsening of the measles outbreak during the festive season.
Phaahla addressed the media on Thursday on the sidelines of a health ministry meeting in Boksburg.
He said that the disease, which had been mainly concentrated in Limpopo, had now started spreading in other provinces, including Gauteng and the North West.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund said that measles was a deadly virus that spreads easily, especially among children.
Symptoms include fever, a dry cough, inflamed and watery eyes, and skin rash.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla said that at least 139 cases of the virus had been confirmed in South Africa. Measles can spread in various ways, including skin-to-skin contact and touching a contaminated surface.