Pretoria - While the City of Tshwane continues to scramble to curb the spread of cholera in Hammanskraal before the expected march by residents tomorrow, the death toll has continued to rise, with 165 patients sitting at the hospital.
Gauteng Health said as of Tuesday evening, the number of confirmed deaths following the outbreak of cholera had steadily increased, with the number of patients sitting at the Jubilee District Hospital sitting at 165.
This also includes 18 patients who were transferred to other health facilities around Tshwane.
The department said the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera stood at 29, with 17 deaths and 67 patients admitted due to gastrointestinal infections.
“The department continues to urge 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,” said the department’s Motalatale Modiba.
“We advise the public to report to their nearest health facilities when they present with diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and dehydration symptoms, so they can receive medical treatment.”
Meanwhile, the Tshwane municipality announced during its budget speech by MMC for Finance Peter Sutton that a whopping R450 million had been allocated towards upgrading works at the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant over a three-year period.
Sutton said this would include R150m that has already been allocated over each financial year, with priority given to finalising phase one while kick-starting phase two of upgrades.
While only R10m had initially been set aside for upgrades to the plant, he stressed that the multiparty coalition administration had found this amount “unacceptably low”, especially considering the current situation in Hammanskraal.
“Despite the failings of the past, this multiparty coalition administration is fully committed to ensuring that we prioritise this project and ensure a healthy supply of water to the people of Hammanskraal.”
The Star