The number of people who have died since the outbreak of cholera in Hammanskraal has increased to 15, after three more people passed away in health facilities on Monday.
It was reported earlier that 12 people had died after consuming contaminated water over the weekend, including a three-year-old child.
The Gauteng department of health said about 100 people presented with symptoms of cholera in Hammanskraal, northern Gauteng in the past week.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo said technical teams have been deployed to the area.
“We should be able to contain this before many other lives are lost. Six cholera cases have also been confirmed in the Free State,” Mahlobo said, adding that an investigation will determine whether the water trucks have contaminants or not.
The department has since warned residents not to drink water from the taps.
Earlier in the day, City of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink was chased out of the area by angry residents before his scheduled visit to the Jubilee District Hospital.
Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Minister Mr Senzo Mchunu has noted with concern the outbreak of the water-borne disease.
He conveyed his condolences to families that have lost their loved ones and wished a speedy recovery to the people who have been admitted to various medical facilities.
“In response to the current cholera outbreak, the department has extended the scope of the prior existing technical team of experts in water services and regulations to work on an integrated model to address the current outbreak,” said Mchunu.
“The technical team from the department will work directly with the national and provincial departments of health and the City of Tshwane to assist with matters such as water quality investigations from sources, taps, and stationary tanks in some households and identify the causes of the disease outbreak.”
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases declared a cholera outbreak in the country in March, after six cases and one fatality were recorded.
The first few cases were import-related and were traced back to Malawi, but the institute said on Monday that it is concerned about the number of indigenous cases in Hammanskraal.
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