THE National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has announced there is no evidence linking the outbreak of enteric fever (commonly known as typhoid fever) cases to municipal water sources anywhere in the country.
The NICD has hit back after numerous claims on social media that the water sources were contaminated, causing panic and concern among citizens.
“These posts allege either that there are currently cases of enteric fever in certain towns or provinces caused by contaminated municipal water, or that the bacteria causing enteric fever have been identified in certain municipal water sources,” the NICD said.
“These statements are factually incorrect. There is no evidence that recent cases of enteric fever are linked to contaminated municipal water in any part of the country.
“There is also no evidence that the bacteria causing enteric fever have recently been identified in municipal water sources anywhere in the country.
“This includes those districts in the Western Cape and North West provinces in which the clusters (small localised outbreaks) have been identified,” the NICD said.
Last week, the NICD announced an outbreak of typhoid fever in the Western Cape and North West provinces.
The Western Cape had reported 64 cases in three separate outbreaks in the Cape Town Metro health district, the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route.
North West province had reported 18 cases in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district.
The NICD urged people to continue with preventative measures such as washing hands with soap and water before, during and after preparing food, before and after eating, after using the toilet, and before and after caring for a sick individual.
If there is a concern about the safety of the water, it should be boiled or treated with household bleach (add one teaspoon of bleach) to 20-25 litres of water, mix well and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes before use.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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