The Gauteng department of health has confirmed that 23 people have died so far from the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, north of Tshwane.
By 6pm on May 27, 229 patients had been seen at the Jubilee District Hospital since May 15, including 23 patients who had been transferred to other Tshwane-based hospitals. By Saturday, 77 patients had been admitted for diarrheal disease while the number of laboratory-confirmed cholera cases stood at 48.
A total 29 patients have since recovered and were discharged, the department said, without specifying whether it was cholera or diarrhoea that they had recovered from.
Government has set-up a field hospital comprising six temporary tents in Kanana as part of its efforts to manage the diarrheal disease. The field hospital is aimed at attending to people presenting with symptoms of dehydration, with patients either given oral or intravenous hydration while the most critical patients are immediately taken to hospitals in Tshwane.
The department continued to urge people to ensure proper hand-hygiene, which includes thorough washing of hands with water and soap or alcohol-based sanitiser before handling food and after using the toilet.
“The public is advised to report to their nearest health facilities when they present with diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and dehydration symptoms, so they can receive medical treatment. It is also critical that the public avoid consuming known or suspected contaminated food and water,” the department said.
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