Slowly creeping in - Cholera makes a comeback

13 February 2024, 07:45
Contributor: Linda Ravenhill

The Department of Health has reported 46 suspected cases of cholera and five laboratory-confirmed cases in the country between January 1st and February 1st, 2024.

Four of the confirmed cases were detected in Limpopo hospitals (Musina and Helene Frans Hospital), and one was detected in Gauteng (Helen Joseph Hospital).

Three of the confirmed cases were patients who had recently arrived from Zimbabwe. That country, along with Zambia, has been battling with cholera outbreaks for the last few months. Two cases involve siblings without travel history to outbreak areas, indicating potential local transmission.  A cluster of 24 diarrhoeal disease cases was also identified in the Limpopo region during outbreak response activities at a primary and high school in the same municipal area on the 31st of January 2024.

Contact tracing teams are in place.  Public and private health facilities are urged to stay vigilant, and the country remains on high alert for a possible surge in cases at the community level.
 

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28 January 2024: Health Minister announces another imported cholera case
 

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