Six dead amid Diarrhoeal disease outbreak in Hammanskraal
The Department of Health has confirmed that six people have died after presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms in Hammanskraal.
The deaths occurred in the past few days.
The department said on Saturday that the country is experiencing an outbreak of Diarrhoeal disease or gastrointestinal infection, as well as a rising number of laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera.
“The department has been informed of cases of people presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria in the past few days, and this has led to over 50 people receiving medical care at Jubilee Hospital,” said the department’s Foster Mohale.
Diarrhoeal disease is a common and often highly infectious condition that affects the stomach and intestines.
“It is a leading cause of child mortality and morbidity in the world, and mostly spreads by contact with an infected person or through contaminated food and drinking water sources,” explained Mohale.
The department also confirmed that the number of positive cholera cases has increased to 22, following the detection of four more cases in Gauteng, and seven cases in Vredefort and Parys areas in the Free State.
“The provincial and district outbreak response teams in both provinces have been dispatched to the affected communities to further investigate the source of the outbreaks,” Mohale said.
