THE national death toll from cholera has reached 85 after the epidemic spread beyond KwaZulu-Natal after breaking out in August. In addition to the 78 people who died from the disease in KwaZulu-Natal, six people have died from it in the Northern Province and one in Gauteng. More than 28 000 people have been infected in KwaZulu-Natal, while in Gauteng about 3 500 families living along the Jukskei River in Alexandra, next to Sandton, were at risk after cholera bacteria were detected in the river earlier this month.