South Africa – after the detection of new cases of cholera in the last few days, concerns are rising among South African health authorities.
Health teams in the town of Benoni, east of Johannesburg, have identified 150 individuals who were in contact with the cholera cases registered in the country and passed away last week. The investigation into possible contacts of infected persons is ongoing.
The first two cases of cholera were detected in early February in the country’s most populous province of Gauteng. Consequently, the authorities have called for vigilance and to adopt the necessary hygiene measures.
According to the Minister of Health, these cases were attributed to two sisters living in Johannesburg who had recently travelled to Malawi, where a cholera epidemic is ongoing.
These suspected cases have been transferred to hospital for treatment, in addition to clinical tests to ascertain whether they are cholera.