/ 23 December 2008

More suspected cholera cases in KZN

Two more people have been admitted to hospital with suspected cholera in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Chris Maxon said the two were admitted to the Church of Scotland hospital in Msinga this week.

”They are suspected to have cholera and tests are presently being carried out on them,” he added.

Maxon said so far only two people had been diagnosed with the water-borne disease in the province and one had survived.

”One was a Zimbabwean trucker who died and the other was a man from Ethiopia, who travelled through Zimbabwe to get into South Africa. He was treated for cholera earlier this month at Nkonjeni Hospital in Zululand and survived.

”He was then discharged,” said Maxon.

The cholera epidemic has claimed more than 1 120 lives in Zimbabwe, with about 21 000 cases reported.

Thousands, many infected, have fled to neighbouring countries, including South Africa.

Special Rapporteur on health rights Anand Grover on Monday highlighted the medical crisis facing Zimbabwe, saying the main public hospitals were closed because of a shortage of medical supplies, doctors and nurses.

”Zimbabwe’s health system has completely collapsed — it cannot control the cholera outbreak, which is spreading throughout the country, and the death toll increases daily,” he said.

With the rainy season approaching, experts fear the crisis will deteriorate further.

Zimbabwe has declared the cholera outbreak a national emergency and has asked the international community for assistance in curbing the spread of the disease. — Sapa