May 22. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The South African health authorities have reported that at least ten people have died from a cholera outbreak that has occurred in the South African region of Hammanskraal, in the north of the country.
The Gauteng Province Health Department has confirmed the cholera outbreak after the results of the analysis of about twenty people who presented symptoms of diarrhoea, stomach pains and nausea, and who were in the Jubilee district hospital. .
Since May 15, 95 hospital patients had similar symptoms, while currently 37 of those hospitalized present these signs. The fatalities are nine adults and a three-year-old child.
The provincial head of health, Nomantu Nkomo Ralehoko, has urged the public to take extra precautionary measures and maintain proper hand hygiene. Likewise, he has indicated that his office has mobilized additional resources that include medical supplies and personnel from hospitals in nearby areas to improve the capacity of those who present a greater saturation of hospital discharges.
“We want to reiterate and urge the public to avoid food, water or surfaces that are known or suspected to be contaminated, and to wash hands with soap before eating food or after using the toilet to avoid possible infection,” Ralehoko said.
