‘Cholera outbreak could spread to other provinces’-Phaahla

Cholera death toll rises to 22 as the first cholera related death in Mpumalanga province claims the life of elderly woman.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla has warned that the current cholera outbreak could spread to other provinces. The minister was making this announcement on Wednesday whilst giving an update on the Hammanskraal cholera outbreak.

The outbreak has been mainly in Gauteng and the Free State, with cases now presenting themselves in Mpumalanga and the North West.

ALSO READ: Cholera claims first victim in Mpumalanga, death toll reaches 25

The minister revealed that the current outbreak of the cholera disease in the country can be traced from the first two cases reported by Gauteng Province on 5 February 2023. This is the case of two sisters from Diepsloot in Johannesburg who had travelled together by bus to Malawi in January and returned on 30 January 2023.

ALSO READ: Cholera outbreak: Two cases detected in North West

FREE STATE CASES

The cases in the Free State presented themselves with over 170 cases of diarrhoea. Eight people died with one confirmed to have cholera.

“Unfortunately, due to the fact that some of the patients presented at clinics where conditions were not adequate to can take specimen for laboratory, this was not done. Eight patients had died from diarrhoea, two at home and 3 each at Parys and Boitumelo hospitals and that laboratory tests were outstanding. Subsequently, laboratory tests confirmed only one of the eight deaths as confirmed cholera”, says Phaahla.

ALSO READ: The death toll from Cholera in SA rises to 22

According to report from the Free State Province the water sources were tested but the tests were deemed non-compliant of high nitrate content which is apparently due to too much chloroform.

HAMMANSKRAAL OUTBREAK

With 17 deaths in a week, Hammanskraal has become the epicentre for the outbreak, with an average of 23 patients presenting themselves at health facilities each day.

ALSO READ: Cholera detected in samples taken by AfriForum in Vaal river

Phaahla says they have created field clinics and specialised wards to focus on patients who present themselves with cholera symptoms which include vomiting and diarrhoea.

“Intervention include the creation of Special cholera and gastroenteritis wards, the deployment of specialist gastroenteritis physician to Jubilee, the fast-tracking of laboratory results and the setting up of a field hospital/clinic with deployment of additional health personnel” he adds.