JOHANNESBURG — At least 17 people have died from a cholera outbreak in the town of Hammanskraal outside the South African capital, Pretoria, authorities said on Wednesday.
The death toll is up from 10 deaths reported by health officials earlier this week.
Officials said there were 29 laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera, while 67 people were admitted to hospitals and clinics due to stomach infections.
Health officials have not yet determined the source of the cholera outbreak, but poor sewage management and poor governance in South Africa’s capital are likely to be the cause. The City of Tshwane Municipality, which covers Pretoria and surrounding areas, has had at least five mayors since the ruling African National Congress lost control of the local governments. elections in 2016.
The Pretoria water plant that handles waste water for much of Hammanskraal needs urgent repairs at an estimated cost of $130 million and has been out of service for years, the city’s mayor has said.
“It has been out of business since about 2005,” said Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink, who was elected in March.
South Africa is a country in southern Africa that has suffered from cholera because people have died in neighboring Zimbabwe and Malawi this year. In February, the World Health Organization reported that cases of cholera in Africa were on the rise amid an international operation. About 12 African countries have reported cholera outbreaks this year.
Health officials in Zimbabwe have confirmed that nine people have died recently while another 28 are suspected to have died of cholera since February. The Ministry of Health said it has recorded 1,404 suspected cholera cases and 359 laboratory confirmed cases.
Malawi reported earlier this year that more than 1,000 people have died in an outbreak that began in March 2022. It is Malawi’s worst cholera outbreak in 20 years, the WHO said, with more than 36,000 people sickened.
Cholera is a disease caused by eating contaminated food or water. The disease is very serious, although it can be easily treated once diagnosed.
The non-governmental organization Gift of the Givers has distributed over 3,200 sealed liter water bottles to Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal and surrounding hospitals where patients are receiving treatment.
In neighboring Zimbabwe, which has a severe cholera epidemic, government officials say the capital, Harare, has become the epicenter of the outbreak. Residents of some towns have gone months without running water, forcing them to dig shallow wells and wells that have been contaminated by black sewage from burst pipes.
Cholera in Africa is said to be the result of poor sanitation, weather conditions such as recent storms and floods in southern Africa, and a lack of cholera vaccines worldwide.
___
Mutsaka made the announcement from Harare, Zimbabwe.
___
More AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa