17 people have died of cholera outbreak: Gauteng health department

There are 29 laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in the Hammanskraal area of Tshwane, where 17 people have now died of the disease.

The Gauteng department of health said the Jubilee District Hospital has treated 165 cholera patients, 18 of whom have been transferred to other health facilities in Tshwane.

Currently 67 patients are admitted due to gastrointestinal infection.

The department urged 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.

Anyone experiencing diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and dehydration symptoms is encouraged to report to their nearest health facility for treatment.

The national department of health said on Tuesday it had alerted ports of entry in the country to be on high alert amid the outbreak.

Acting chief director of communicable diseases control in the department, Aneliswa Cele, said there was a high possibility of continued importation of cases to South Africa given the cholera outbreak in parts of Southern Africa.

The director-general of the department, Dr Sandile Buthelezi, called on the country to treat every case of diarrheal disease as cholera until proven otherwise amid the outbreak.

Buthelezi said he had asked public specialists at hospitals to analyse the fatalities linked to the disease, as he was concerned about the high percentage of deaths among confirmed cases.

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