South Africa reported its first case of the disease in February this year.
So far, the country has registered a total of 1,045 cases of suspected cholera in 15 out of 52 counties in five out of nine provinces.
Of these, 197 had tested positive for cholera in the laboratory.
The central province of Gauteng, which includes the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, recorded the highest number of cases, with 176 in three of its districts; followed by Freistaat at 11; northwest with five; the Northern Limpopo with four; and a case in east Mpumalanga.
Likewise, according to the national Ministry of Health, 43 people have died from the disease, which affects 13 other African countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Weekly Cholera Bulletin.
Of the total number of deaths, 35 occurred in Gauteng, two in the Free State and four in Limpopo.
In this May 2023 document, the WHO characterizes the South African outbreak as a “combination of sporadic and clustered cases.”
The Hammanskraal district north of Pretoria was reported as the epicenter of the outbreak.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant in the metropolitan area of Tshwane, where Pretoria is located. He also interacted with the residents of Hammaskraal.
Among other initiatives to prevent cholera outbreaks, the government is currently working on an improved wastewater technology solution to be installed at the Rooiwal plant between August this year and March 2024.
The drinking water supply for the residents of Hammaskraal will also be improved and a portable water treatment plant will be installed at the facility in Klipdrift, near this district.
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