Umtata | Monday
AT least ten people have died and 149 others have been treated in the wake of a mysterious disease at Qingqolo village, Mqanduli district, near Umtata.
Another 41 have been treated at the Umtata General Hospital and discharged.
Since early this month, at least 149 cases have been reported of people suffering from tiredness, acute diarrhoea, vomiting, headache and cramps.
Although the disease has not yet been identified, some of its symptoms are similar to those of typhoid and cholera.
According to residents, the disease killed people within the space of 12 hours to three days if not treated.
During a visit to the village on Sunday with King Sabata Dalindyebo and OR Tambo District municipality officials, locals were confused about the disease and its cause.
Some said they had initially thought the victims were poisoned after attending a local funeral.
They were worried that the disease was spreading like wildfire and also affecting residents of nearby villages.
”This thing started when a family buried a child two weeks ago at Qingqolo, and then two days later a woman from Mqambule (nearby village) died and her relatives also got sick.
”We had thought that they had been poisoned at the funeral, but this seems to be not the case as even those who did not attend the funeral are suffering,” the local chief’s councillor Mthinjeni Sonyana said.
”Environmental officers last week took some samples of water from the river and springs, but they have yet to come back and inform us of the results,” said Fikile Mabaso, whose cousin was buried on Sunday.
OR Tambo District environmental officer Sabelo Mkentane said water samples from the area had been sent for tests on Thursday.
”The results show the water from the area has faecal contamination. However, there was no trace of typhoid bacilli, cholera bacilli or shigella bacilli.
”Other tests will be done on blood specimens from the hospital to determine what type of a disease is this,” Mkentane said.
Locals have been advised to boil water from the river and springs and also to pour a teaspoon of domestic bleach into every 25 litres of water they use for consumption.
Officials from the two municipalities and the Health Department are expected to meet today to plan ways of dealing with the disease.
Acting Health MEC Max Mamase said : ”We as the government send our condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones.
It’s a pity that it took almost a week for us to learn about it. If it had been reported immediately the death toll could have been minimised.”
Mamase said as a precautionary measure he had requested his Public Works counterpart to provide clean water to the area. In the meantime the residents should refrain from drinking spring water until the disease had been identified.
Commenting on the reports that the disease was similar to typhoid and cholera, Mamase said: ”There is a probability that it could be cholera rather than typhoid. The residents are drinking from stagnant pools which means that it is most probably cholera.” – Sapa