Over 100 New Cholera Cases Reported in S. Africa

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 04, 2002

Over 100 New Cholera Cases Reported in S. Africa

A total of 140 new cholera cases were reported over the past few days in the eastern Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the provincial health department said on Thursday.

A total of 140 new cholera cases were reported over the past few days in the eastern Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the provincial health department said on Thursday.

Most of the cases are centered around the area of Ladysmith, about 350 kilometers south of Johannesburg, forcing the province's health department to step up its provision of fresh water and intensify its health education campaign.

Wilson Khanyile, the province's director of environmental health, said: "It is a cause for concern. It is a new area, not previously affected in the past."

The department has sent 12 field teams to carry out health education to prevent the spread of the disease which is associated with poor hygiene.

The teams will deliver household bleach that villagers could use to purify their water, and install another 75 water tanks for the storage of purified water.

District municipalities will fix defective boreholes and projects to install toilets will be reprioritized.

Khanyile attributed the increase in infections to an increase of visitors to the region over the holidays and the seasonal rise in temperature.

The department repeated calls for people to use only purified water and practise good personal and environmental hygiene.

Cholera is a bacterial infection which is contracted by drinking contaminated water or by eating food which has been in contact with contaminated water, flies or soiled hands.

There have been 107,553 cases of cholera since the start of the epidemic in August 2000. The fatality rate stands at 0.218 percent with 235 confirmed cholera deaths.

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