Durban — The Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal says although cholera has not reached the province, authorities are vigilant and that should it be found, patients would be treated immediately.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said they did not want cholera to hit the province and it be found that the department is not ready to deal with it.
Cholera is a bacterial disease causing diarrhoea and severe dehydration. It can lead to death if not treated immediately.
South Africa reported its first cholera death in February after the virus arrived in the country from Malawi. Moreover, 26 people have died in the country because of the disease. The affected provinces are Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and the Free State.
The residents at Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, have been the ones hit hardest by the disease, with 24 deaths resulting in the area, one from Mpumalanga, and one in the Free State.
Simelane urged residents to be cautious.
“If you feel that there is something wrong with your stomach, do not try to drink home remedies and rush to your nearest clinic,” she warned.
Simelane said trying to drink home remedies might make it worse and urged that residents not delay because when they visit their local clinics they would be tested and treated immediately.
She also said people should be wary of the water that they consume and continue washing their hands with soap, or sanitiser.
Recently, health workers were advised to treat all diarrhoea cases as suspected cholera until proven otherwise.
The head of the Centre for Enteric Diseases at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Dr Juno Thomas, said the classic appearance of stool in severe cases is described as rice water in many cases; with mild to moderate cholera, stool is watery but coloured.
“Any acute watery stool, regardless of colour, must be regarded as suspected cholera,” said Thomas.
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