Johannesburg - The source of the cholera outbreak which has led to the death of 10 people and seen 37 others admitted at the Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal, Pretoria, will only be confirmed by Wednesday.
This was according to the various health stakeholders who converged on the Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, yesterday following the outbreak of the disease in the area.
The outbreak was confirmed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko as she, alongside Tshwane Health MMC Rina Marx as well as political parties, conducted a walkabout at the Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal yesterday to assess the situation and prepare additional facilities to assist the community.
The Gauteng Health Department said the specimens of 19 people who presented with symptoms of diarrhoea, stomach cramps and nausea were taken in; hence they could confirm that there was an outbreak of cholera in the area.
Since last Monday, the department said 95 patients had been seen at the hospital, with 37 admitted and 10 people deceased. Areas affected included Kanana, Carousel View, Greenfield, Hans Kekana View, Stinkwater, Suurman, Sekampaneng and Portion 9.
The Health MEC said the hospital would be opening two additional wards to accommodate patients who could not be immediately accommodated, with two nurses from Tshwane District Hospital and local clinics dispatched overnight to assist.
In addition to this, she said the City of Tshwane Municipality had mobilised additional resources to activate counselling and social relief for the affected families, in addition to urging communities not to drink tapwater.
Outbreak Response District teams have already been activated at churches, local institutions and loud hailing to provide communities with preventative measures to take to keep themselves safe.
MMC Marx said as it stood, the municipality was not sure if the contamination emanated from the supplied water; however, she added that the municipality knew that some areas only used the water tankers for consumption and that samples had been taken, with the results thereof only to be available by Wednesday.
She said the samples had been taken from water tankers and river outlets upstream and downstream, which was in addition to the municipality’s monthly analysis of the water, the latest samples conducted three weeks back which were clear.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said they had already engaged the National Department of Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements to add additional capacity to support the municipality and curb the spread
"The Department of Health and Wellness would like to urge the public to take extra precautionary measures and maintain proper hygiene, and the public is urged to avoid known or suspected contaminated water. Never drink water from unsafe sources such as rivers and streams unless it has been boiled or disinfected."
"We advise the public to report to the nearest health facilities should they present symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps or dehydration symptoms to receive treatment immediately. We plead with the public to be vigilant in the next few days while we are all trying to gain control of the situation," she said.
The Star