The UN says SA’s deadly cholera outbreak, which has so far infected scores of people and killed 22, is both “tragic and avoidable”.
The organisation said on Thursday it has stepped in to help the government with technical resources to find the source of the outbreak.
Cholera has been reported in Gauteng, the Free State and Limpopo, with the community of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, the hardest hit. It is not clear at this stage what proportion of the cases are imported or due to local transmission.
The data on hand suggests a case fatality rate (the ratio of deaths to cases) of almost 30%. With early diagnosis and prompt treatment, the case fatality rate should remain below 1%, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Most of the UN’s efforts are focused on running immediate radio and social media awareness campaigns to alert affected communities about the need to boil water and wash hands to prevent the spread of the disease.
Cholera, which is mainly experienced in developing nations, leads to acute diarrhoeal infection and is caused by bacteria-contaminated food or water — with the source usually unclean water.
Hammanskraal has had water problems for a long time. The Human Rights Commission released a report in 2019 saying its water was unfit for consumption.
The WHO says the disease “is an indicator of inequity and lack of social development”.
“We are saddened by these avoidable and tragic deaths due to cholera and would like to express our deep condolences to the affected families. We wish speedy recovery to those who have been hospitalised,” said Nelson Muffuh, the head of the UN in SA.
The WHO has sent seven technical officers to the two of the affected provinces to assist with infection prevention and control and to help the department of health identify the source of outbreak and to record cases.
WHO officials joined experts from the National Institute for the Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Hammanskraal and other department of health officials on Thursday night.
The NICD is expert at surveillance of disease and was able to work out and pinpoint the source of SA’s listeria outbreak, the largest in the world.
Unicef, also part of the UN, is working with the department of health to immediately raise awareness of the importance of handwashing and boiling water to prevent infection spread. Its efforts are mainly focusing on prevention activities.
“With these activities and various others in the pipeline, the UN in SA is committed to support the government and our partners in their efforts to prevent the deadly cholera outbreak from spreading further and claiming more lives,” said Muffuh.
The WHO, has stepped in before and assisted during the listeria outbreak, the world’s deadliest, in trying to find the source.
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