No Cholera cases in NW, clarifies Health Department

MADIBENG – Both the national and provincial health departments apologised for the communication error on Tuesday. “It was discovered during the discussions with North West health officials that two cases, were already reported under Gauteng because the two patients were screened, tested, and diagnosed with cholera while they were in Hammanskraal,” said national health spokesperson Foster Mohale.

Cases and deaths are counted under the province or district in which they were tested, not where the patients reside. This means the province of North West has no confirmed cases nor outbreaks of cholera at this stage. Gauteng, more specifically Hammanskraal, is the epicentre of the cholera outbreak that has claimed at least 23 lives. One of the deaths was reported in the Free State.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported a total of 114 laboratory-confirmed cases in Gauteng and the Free State. The retraction by the department has clarified that Gauteng and the Free State remain the only provinces affected by the highly infectious disease so far. The department has committed to publishing a comprehensive update on the cholera outbreak in the country on Wednesday. There’s still no confirmation of the source of the outbreak.