Johannesburg - The City of Johannesburg (COJ) has confirmed that four of the five reported cholera cases in South Africa are in Joburg.
“The cases are of sisters who had recently travelled to Malawi for a funeral and developed symptoms on their return to Johannesburg,” MMC for Health and Social Development Ennie Makhafola said in a statement yesterday.
“The third case is a contact of the sisters and the fourth case is a man from Alexandra township.”
The City added that as of January 31, 2023, three countries in the southern African region, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, reported ongoing cholera outbreaks.
“The outbreaks in Mozambique and Zambia are likely to be linked to the outbreak in Malawi, which has been ongoing since March 2022,” Makhafola said.
“The City’s MMC for Health can assure residents that the COJ health facilities are readily prepared and have adequate necessary supplies to manage cholera cases and contacts,” COJ added.
Cholera outbreaks usually occur in settings with inadequate sanitation and insufficient access to safe drinking water. Currently, the disease is not endemic in South Africa, and the last outbreak was in 2008/9.
In response to the confirmed cholera cases in Johannesburg, Makhafola said that the COJ has assembled multi-disciplinary outbreak response teams that respond to all reported cases of communicable diseases.
“The COJ health department is working closely with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and WHO to closely monitor the situation.”
The MMC added that the confirmed cases had received medical attention and close contacts had been followed up in line with the outbreak response policy and guidelines.
“Action taken in response to cases reported includes information sharing and health promotion to communities in the surrounding areas where the outbreak occurs and to the public in general,” said Makhafola.
“Health facilities are alerted, and updated management guidelines are communicated. Environmental health management is taking relevant samples for investigation and response.”
Meanwhile, Makhafola urged the public and healthcare professionals to exercise caution and report any suspicions of cholera for further investigation. She also encouraged individuals to practise good hand hygiene, which includes washing their hands with water and soap both before and after using the restroom or the toilet and before preparing or eating food.
“People experiencing symptoms like nausea and vomiting, including diarrhoea and dehydration, with or without travel history to cholera outbreak countries, should report to their nearest health facilities for health screening, early detection and treatment,” said Makhafola.
The MMC further also called on environmental health officers to continue to ensure food safety and educate the community about safe handling of food and water within households.
Cholera is a diarrhoeal disease, the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual, disease caused by a bacterium called vibrio cholerae.
Health experts explained that most people infected with V cholera do not develop any symptoms, although the bacteria are present in their faeces for one to ten after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people.
Cholera can affect all ages, but those who lack access to adequate sanitation and piped safe water are particularly at risk.
Meanwhile, a person may get cholera by drinking water or eating food that is contaminated with the cholera bacterium. In addition unclean hands can contaminate food and water and during an outbreak, the source of the contamination is usually the faeces of an infected person.
The disease can also spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water and it is not likely to spread directly from one person to another. Therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk for becoming ill.
However, an infected person ‘’carrier“ who doesn’t have symptoms can also transfers the bacteria during food preparation
Cholera symptoms includes:
Severe diarrhoea (rice water stools) and dehydration (caused by loss of body water).
* Vomiting may occur.
* Children may develop fever.
* If left untreated, cholera can be fatal in a matter of hours, even in previously healthy people.
* Cholera can be successfully treated if the patient visits the clinic or hospital as soon as symptoms start.
* Immediate replacement of the fluid and salts lost through diarrhoea is important.
* Patients can be treated with oral rehydration solution, a pre-packaged mixture of sugar and salts to be mixed with water and drunk in large amounts.
* This solution is used throughout the world to treat diarrhoea.
* Severe cases also require intravenous fluid replacement.
COJ also recommended the following cholera safety measures:
* Hand washing with water and soap before and after using the bathroom/toilet and preparing or eating food.
* Use only clean, treated or boiled water.
* Wash all raw food with clean, treated or boiled water.
* Wash food utensils in clean, treated or boiled water.
* Protect food from fly contamination and prevent fly contamination in your homes.
* Don’t allow children to play in dirty pools, rivers or storm water outlets.
* Don’t contaminate rivers or leave sewage where it can be washed into a river by rain.
* Safe disposal of human excrement and nappies is recommended.