Diarrhoea outbreak now an epidemic
The Ministry of Health and Wellness says a total of 21 544 cases of diarrhea have been recorded following an outbreak in at least 17 health districts across the country in the last month. In a media briefing, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ruth Maphorisa expressed concern at the epidemic which she said has sharply risen from the 1776 cases recorded on the first week of the outbreak to the 21544 recorded as from September 2 – 30. According to Maphorisa, initially only seven health districts were affected out of the 27 and the number has now risen to 17. As at October 4th, a total of 24 children had died. She said the outbreak had forced the ministry to intensify monitoring measures to all the 27 health districts. Maphorisa said the source of the outbreak was still unknown, however 180 samples were sent to South Africa for genotyping, 92 from surveillance and 88 from the outbreak through the World Health Organisation (WHO) laboratory and 99 were Rotavirus positive while 81 were negative and had to be tested for other viruses. Maphorisa encouraged members of the public to stick to health practices such as washing hands with soap every time after using the toilet and boiling drinking water. She also urged nursing mothers to always wash their hands before feeding their babies. “To prevent outbreaks of diarrhea and other water borne diseases, like cholera, there must be public awareness on personal hygiene and sanitation. They are critical in preventing such diseases,” she stated.