17 February 2006
Bloemhof - Some 408 people have been treated by both private and public
health institutions in Bloemhof township near Wolmaranstad in the Bophirima
District for diarrhoea since Monday, 12 February 2006. All the patients were
treated and discharged - the majority of them complaining of running stomach
and dehydration. Further cases were reported from Vryburg by our private
practitioners fuelling the fear that the outbreak might have spread to Vryburg
or that these people might be coming from Bloemhof, which is about 90 km to
Vryburg.
The source of the disease is still unknown but the possibility of water
contamination from the Vaal River has not been ruled out. What we can confirm
is that all the patients treated had amoeba, a bacteria found in contaminated
water. We have taken water samples for further laboratory testing to give us a
clear indication of what could be the cause.
"I can assure our community in Bloemhof that our outbreak response teams are
rounding the area checking all possible leads. We are also visiting schools and
churches to do public awareness. Our team is working around the clock,
investigating with the hope to find out the source of this disease," said MEC
for Health, Ms Nomonde Rasmeni.
The Department furthermore calls upon our communities to remain calm as the
outbreak is under control. Our Environmental Health officials together with a
team of doctors are on high alert. So far the disease is confined to Bloemhof
only. We urge our communities to continue purifying water before use. This can
be done in the main by boiling water before drinking or cooking and avoiding
contact with water from the river or streams. We are praying that, the current
whether conditions improves, as the current heavy rainfalls are the main causes
of these outbreaks.
Enquiries:
Ms Calvinia Sebekedi
Cell: 082 770 3683
Barba Gaoganediwe
Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 082 929 9958
Tel: (018) 387 5830
E-mail: kgaoganediwe@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Health, North West Provincial Government
17 February 2006
