Three people have died from suspected typhoid fever in the Nongoma area in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the provincial health department said on Wednesday.
The first person died in September and the last one died on Sunday, said departmental spokesperson Desmond Motha.
He said six people in the area had fallen ill from suspected typhoid since September. Two were currently being treated in hospital.
Besides the Nongoma cases, seven people had fallen ill in the province between March and September.
Motha said it would ”take some time” before the results of tests on the water system in Nongoma were known, as the cases were not related.
”Nongoma is quite a large area. Example where one person fell ill is in Kombuzi where people drink piped water,” he said.
All water sources would have to be tested.
There are sporadic outbreaks of typhoid and cholera in the province due to some parts not having proper sanitation.
KwaZulu-Natal sees around 20 cases of typhoid every year. Motha urged communities not too panic saying the health department was doing ”everything” to prevent an outbreak, including education programmes. – Sapa