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Last time we checked, 21 people had passed away due to the cholera outbreak in South Africa, with most cases occurring in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.

At that point, the bacteria had spread to the Free State, while water samples taken from the Vaal River in Parys tested positive for cholera, too.

Since then, the civil rights organisation AfriForum has conducted several water tests along the Gauteng waterways in the past month, confirming that seven rivers now carry the potentially deadly disease.

Per The South African, the Manager of Environmental Affairs Lambert de Klerk said that “Water samples were taken from towns along the Vaal River, while a sample was also taken in the river system,” adding that “Dozens of people make use of this river’s water daily.”

The following seven locations are currently infested with cholera:

• At the Barrage Bridge in the Vaal River.
• At Parys in the Vaal River.
• In Welkom at Thabong where the Mostert Canal starts.
• In Welkom at a furrow that runs into the Witpan.
• At Barkley West in the Vaal River.
• At Douglas in the Vaal River before it merges with the Orange River.
• At Warrenton in the Vaal River.

Since the initial outbreak, five provinces have confirmed 198 cholera cases and 43 deaths, including:

• Gauteng with 176 cases
• Free State with 11 cases
• North West with 6 cases
• Limpopo with 4 cases
• Mpumalanga with 1 case

The Health Departmental Spokesperson Foster Mohale said the country has recorded a total cumulative number of 1073 suspected cases of cholera across these five provinces, of which 198 of them were laboratory-confirmed between the 1st of February and 4 July 2023.

“This doesn’t mean the transmission of cholera is over, and members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and exercise personal hygiene at all times, especially when preparing and serving food during mass gatherings.”

Cholera is a bacterial disease usually spread through contaminated water, causing severe diarrhoea, dehydration and death if left untreated.

[source:thesouthafrican]