More than 530 people have been affected by a diarrhoea outbreak currently plaguing the Vryheid area in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Residents, who have been infected, many of whom remain in hospital, say they experienced severe symptoms immediately after drinking tap water.
Despite this, the KwaZulu-Natal Departments of Health and Co-operative Governance say preliminary tests results have not found traces of cholera or typhoid in the water.
Community members, who have experienced severe stomach cramps coupled with vomiting, have been flocking to the Mason and Bhekuzulu Clinics as well as the Vryheid District hospital.
31-year-old Nombuliswa Magwaza, who remains hospitalised, says the area has a history of receiving unclean water.
“I woke up this morning (Friday) and I was very sweaty. I vomited and got these stomach cramps, up and down to the loo and I was rushed here by my roommate. The past weekend, I drank water from the borehole; they told me its spring water so I thought it’s safe. I was aware that there was a bug doing its rounds here. We just usually run out of water, when it comes back, it’s not clean.”
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Doctor Sibongiseni Dhlomo says he is pleased that there have been no fatalities in the diarrhoea outbreak.
Dhlomo visited the Vryheid hospital to ascertain the extent of the outbreak. He says secondary tests will now be conducted to determine the source of the outbreak.
“There’s been laboratory tests, of both the stools from the patients and the water. It has not shown cholera or typhoid and we are happy about that. However, we have given advice to our citizens that even though they are getting piped water in and around where they are staying, since we are still looking around, they must still boil the water. We have also through MEC Dube-Ncube spoken to the municipality to actually improve the chlorine content on their water reservoirs.”
