OWN CORRESPONDENT, Durban | Tuesday
HEALTH workers are fighting two separate outbreaks of cholera in northern Kwazulu Natal, which have killed two people and seen more than 1 000 contract the disease.
An outbreak of the disease was reported in the rural Empangeni area in the northern part of the province in late August and another was confirmed in Eshowe last week, said government health official Bruce Margot said.
The disease has been traced to the Mhlatuze River, which runs between the two areas, and three other rivers in the region.
“We have tested boreholes in the region and they are safe, but the majority of the people who live there take water from the rivers,” said Margot.
The Department of Health has scheduled urgent meetings with tribal authorities to organise water points to distribute tanked water to rural communities in affected areas, and is testing and purifying water in the area and carrying out extensive health awareness programmes.
“The SA National Defence Force has been put on alert and they will be assisting us with the provision of water tanks to the area,” Margot added.
“The biggest danger with cholera is that people can die very quickly from dehydration,” he warned. “Re-hydrating people is even more important than treating them with antibiotics,” he said.