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South Africa is dealing with a current Cholera outbreak.

As of February 28, a total of six confirmed cholera cases including one death have been reported in Gauteng.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), all cases are adults, ranging in age from 19 to 44 years, with no confirmed cases reported in other provinces as of yet.

The first two cases were reported at the end of January when sisters travelling from Malawi contracted cholera.

Then, last week, the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, announced the first death linked to the recent cases of cholera detected in South Africa.

The 24-year-old patient resided in Wattville, Benoni in Ekurhuleni, and had no prior local or international travel history.

The NICD says that isolates from all cases are identified as toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa, and are susceptible to ciprofloxacin:

The first three cases were imported or import-related cases following travel to Malawi. Cases 4 and 5 acquired infection locally; they had not travelled, had no links to imported cases or to each other, and don’t reside or work in the same area. These two are classified as indigenous cases (Table 1).  The sixth case is newly reported and under investigation.

It should be noted that there is an ongoing risk for imported cases following travel from other African countries currently experiencing cholera outbreaks, especially Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The World Health Organisation defines cholera as an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, per East Coast Radio.

You can come into contact with the virus and become infected after drinking contaminated water or indirectly by eating contaminated food.

It is important to get treatment ASAP as the virus left untreated can kill within hours.

The alarming thing is that some people do not show symptoms, with the Centers for Controlled Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that “most persons infected with the cholera bacterium have mild diarrhoea or no symptoms at all”.

The most common symptoms are diarrhoea, dehydration, vomiting, and body weakness.

Prevent getting #cholera by washing your hands often with soap and clean water, especially before you eat or prepare food and after using the bathroom.@nicd_sa pic.twitter.com/kt4mZXooMI

— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) February 26, 2023

Generally, for prevention of Cholera, one should wash hands with soap after using the restroom, cleaning a child’s bottom, and after caring for someone who is sick, as well as before, during, and after preparing food.

It is also advised to drink and use safe water for cooking, brushing your teeth, and preparing food. Boil the water if you are unsure.

The SA government also suggests that all people who experience cholera-like symptoms, with or without local or international travel history, should immediately visit their nearest health facility for screening and testing to ensure early detection and successful treatment.

[sources:nicd&eastcoastradio]