Few patients present with cholera symptoms in Hammanskraal

Fewer patients are presenting at health facilities with symptoms of the diarrhoeal disease, the Gauteng department of health has said.

This after 23 people lost their lives since the outbreak of cholera in Hammanskraal in the north of Pretoria. Another person died due to the water-borne disease in the Free State last week, taking the total number across the country to 24.


In the last two weeks, 229 patients have been treated at the Jubilee District Hospital in Hammanskraal for the water-borne disease.

“It is worth noting that 29 patients have since recovered and were discharged. In the past few days, fewer patients have presented with symptoms of diarrhoeal disease,” the department said in a statement.

As part of efforts to manage the diarrhoeal disease, the provincial government has set up a field hospital in Kanana, a township in Hammanskraal.

The six temporary tents have been set up to immediately attend to people presenting with symptoms of dehydration, as vomiting and diarrhoea eliminate water from the body.

The department noted that in the field hospital, patients are given oral hydration or intravenous hydration on the spot while the most critical patients are taken to hospitals around Tshwane for further management and admission.

“The department continues to urge people to ensure proper hand hygiene, which includes thorough washing of hands with water and soap or alcohol-based sanitizer before handling food and after using the toilet,” it said.

 

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