Cholera death toll in South Africa rises to 17

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - The death toll from cholera in South Africa has risen to 17, health authorities said on Wednesday.

The Gauteng provincial health department said that there are 29 laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera in the province and 67 patients are currently admitted due to gastrointestinal infection.

On Sunday, health officials had announced a cholera outbreak with 10 deaths in Hammanskraal, north of the capital Pretoria.

More than 100 people have so far received treatment at the Jubilee District Hospital and over a dozen others have been transferred to other health facilities in the capital Pretoria.

Cholera is caused by ingesting bacteria found in contaminated water or food. If left untreated, it could cause death.

Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, member of the Executive Council for Health and Wellness in the Gauteng province, urged residents to take extra measures and maintain proper hygiene and not drink unsafe water.

This is the second time South Africa has confirmed a cholera outbreak this year. In February, health authorities recorded two confirmed cases of cholera imported from neighboring Malawi, where an outbreak had claimed hundreds of lives.

South Africa reported its worst cholera outbreak over a decade ago with about 12,000 cases following an outbreak in neighboring Zimbabwe, according to the health department.