The Gauteng Department of Health says the number of patients seen at Jubilee District Hospital is currently sitting at 165. Picture: iStock
The cholera death toll in Hammanskraal has risen to 17.
This was confirmed by the Gauteng Department of Health on Wednesday.
The department confirmed the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, Tshwane on Sunday.
Hammanskraal has been riddled with poor sanitation and water issues for years, becoming a hub for the cholera disease to spread.
Gauteng Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said the number of patients seen at Jubilee District Hospital is currently sitting at 165.
“This number includes 18 patients who have been transferred to other health facilities in Tshwane. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera is standing at 29. To date, 17 people have passed on from the disease outbreak.
“Currently 67 patients are admitted due to gastrointestinal infection. The department continues to urge people to ensure proper hand hygiene, which includes thorough washing of hands with water and soap or alcohol-based sanitiser before handling food and after using the toilet,” said Mohale.
ALSO READ: Gauteng health confirms cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, as death toll climbs to 10
Mohale also urged the residents to report to their nearest health facilities when they present any symptoms including diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and dehydration so they can receive medical treatment.
“We further reiterate the call for the public to avoid consuming known or suspected contaminated food and water,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts have called on the City of Tshwane to release the test results on whether its water is contaminated.
The city is also being accused of accepting a false conclusion and trying to wash its hands off the problem.
WaterCAN South Africa said the results indicating there was no cholera found in the water was a cop out.
“The only way to know if cholera is present is to test for it. We call on the city to make public the test results and explain how they’ll address the issue at Rooiwal,” said WaterCAN’s manager Dr Ferrial Adam.
“You can’t say you tested for E. coli so there was no cholera. You need a cholera test,” said Adam.
Additional reporting by Marizka Coetzer
ALSO READ: Hammanskraal cholera outbreak: Water experts say they warned government about the issue
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