South Africa’s Cholera Death Toll Rises
The death toll from the cholera outbreak in South Africa since February has risen to 31, with 166 cases confirmed in laboratories, the Ministry of Health said Thursday
An earlier death toll was 22, mostly in the epicenter of the outbreak in Hammanskraal, north of the capital Pretoria.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement that Gauteng province, which includes Pretoria and Johannesburg, has 29 deaths, while Free State and Mpumalanga have one death each.
Noting that the country recorded a total of 202 suspected cholera infections in five provinces between 1 February and 6 June 2023, he said that more than 600 people with symptoms similar to the disease were examined in Gauteng and Free State hospitals.
The department also called on South Africans to remain vigilant in avoiding food, water, and surfaces suspected of being contaminated, while washing their hands with soap before handling food to prevent possible infection.
The Tshwane Municipality of Pretoria issued a health warning, urging residents not to drink tap water after doubts about its safety.
Response teams have been dispatched to collect water samples for further testing, she said.
South Africa has been grappling with a cholera epidemic for several months and health authorities are concerned about it. The last cholera outbreak in the country was in 2008, with more than 12,000 cases and around sixty deaths.
