The North West Department of Health can confirm that the province has registered two laboratory-confirmed Cholera cases in the Bojanala District Municipality.
The confirmed laboratory cases are of two males aged thirty-eight (38) and sixty-eight (68) from the Madibeng and Morelete Local Municipalities.
Both patients presented vomiting and diarrhoea, which are symptoms of Cholera.
According to the statement released by the Provincial Departmental Spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, the department has urged the public not to panic "as Cholera is preventable and curable," read the statement.
"All people who experience Cholera symptoms, with or without local or international travel history, are advised to visit their nearest health facility. Cholera is a diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Individuals generally become ill 12-48 hours after exposure,” the statement added.
Some common Cholera symptoms include diarrhoea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever. Most people who develop symptoms have mild or moderate symptoms, while a minority develop acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration. This can lead to death if left untreated.
Lekgethwane concluded that: “The department would further like to urge the public to take extra precautionary measures and maintain proper hand hygiene, as the country experiences an outbreak of Diarrhoeal disease or gastrointestinal infection, and the rising number of laboratory-confirmed cases of Cholera.
