Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla briefs media regarding the Cholera outbreak at the GCIS buildings in Pretoria, 31 May 2023. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
As the cholera outbreak continues to take a toll on the country, Minister Joe Phaahla briefed the media on Wednesday about government’s intervention response.
Phaahla also provided details about the first confirmed case in Hammanskraal.
Tshwane in Gauteng is considered as the the epicentre of the cholera outbreak.
Phaahla said the first reported case was traced to a 56-year-old police officer who had originally travelled from Giyani, Limpopo.
The officer had been enrolled for a course at Hammanskraal Saps, and tested positive for cholera on 12 May.
Phaahla said he is still in hospital, “but we’re told he is in a stable condition”. Following this, eight other police officers were admitted to hospital for the same symptoms.
The outbreak was largely “limited to specific arears”.
He said the current spread of cholera can be traced to two sisters residing in Diepsloot who had travelled to Malawi in January.
They tested positive for cholera on 5 February.
He said Cholera is endemic in Malawi, and nine more cases were confirmed in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni after the outbreak team’s initial report.
He said there was rapid increase in cases on 17 May, “when the outbreak team was called to assist in hospitals”.
During that period, 17 patients died. Phaahla said the number of confirmed cases in the region has since decreased.
Moreover, 99 confirmed cases had been reported in the Tshwane metro.
Dr Phaahla also confirmed there had been no cholera-related deaths over the past seven days.
READ: Tshwane to offer financial aid to cholera-hit families… soon
The second outbreak was reported in Vredefort and Parys in the Free State, when 174 cases of diarrhoea were confirmed.
Many of these patients could not be tested for cholera since they were treated at primary care facilities. During this time, six patients died undiagnosed.
Water tests in the Free States came back as “inconclusive” since the water sample had high levels of chlorine.
The last cholera case in the Free State was reported on 23 May. No new cases and no deaths have been reported since.
There are currently nine active cases in the Free States.
He said the two cases reported in North West had actually originated from and had been diagnosed in Gauteng.
“Their residential address showed that they are from [North West],” Phaahla explained.
The source of the outbreak could not be determined as yet.
Phaahla said: “We’re looking everywhere for the source of the cholera outbreak, including travelling. We are still not exonerated”.
He said in Tshwane specifically, the outbreak team “must dig deeper into what really happened and could have sparked the cholera outbreak.
“We need to get further with tracking and tracking. We have our work cut out for us.”
Phaahla said the Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal now has cholera-specific wards.
He added: “We have also appointed a gastroenterologist, and now have a field hospital in Kanana and deployed additional staff”.
Doctors without Borders are also assisting.
He said the national health department is working with various other departments – including the social development department, water and sanitation, and the Presidency – to curb the outbreak.
Phaahla called on all South Africans to practice good hygiene practices, especially when preparing food. And when using sanitation facilities.
“When you do your number 2, you mush wash your hands with not only water, but you must use soap.”
People most at risk are those using unclean water from rivers, streams, bore-holes, dams, wells and those who do not have access to adequate sanitation.
Symptoms could occur within two to five days after being infected, and my include a sudden onset of illness, dehydration, vomiting and fever.
If not treated in time, it could result in serious complications such as kidney failure, and even death.
In the midst of this public health crisis, remember to stay informed since this is the first defense. As the situation unfolds, we will continue to provide timely and accurate updates on the cholera outbreak.
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