By Khulile Thwala
Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi has assured the country that the ministry has a near-airtight plan to ensure control of the cholera outbreak which has claimed 10 more lives in SA.
Speaking to Eswatini Daily News, the minister said they had daily surveillance across the country and response kits which they recently received from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“We have a response plan, including regional response teams. Two weeks ago we received response kits from WHO, including test kits, medicines, and other essential commodities,” she said.
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She further said they were continuing to monitor the situation and would further update the country on the situation going forward. The provincial health department in Gauteng on Sunday announced 19 new cases of Cholera in Hammanskraal, including 10 deaths.
South Africa reported its first cholera death in February after the virus arrived in the country from Malawi. It was unclear how many cholera cases there were nationally as of Sunday, but the most populous province of Gauteng, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are situated, has been hardest hit.
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Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting, and weakness and is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. It can kill within hours if untreated.
The last outbreak in South Africa was in 2008/2009 when about 12,000 cases were reported following an outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe, which led to a surge of imported cases and subsequent local transmission.