Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, announced on Tuesday that South Africa recorded another imported laboratory-confirmed case of cholera from a 24-year-old South African man with a travel history from Karachi, Pakistan.
According to the statement released last night, the patient arrived in the country on 16 July from Pakistan, known to be cholera endemic, where he experienced abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea symptoms after a meal two days before.
“He reported that he had diarrhoea, but did not immediately seek medical attention while in Pakistan, and he only rehydrated himself using bottled water because he didn’t suspect any foodborne illness.”
However, upon arriving at King Shaka International Airport in Durban, he felt dehydrated and was taken to a private hospital to seek medical help.
According to the department, he was then admitted on 18 July while his specimen was sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for laboratory testing.
“The results came back positive with cholera toxin on Monday, 24 July 2023. He has been discharged and recovering well at home.”
The outbreak response team, according to the department, has effected contact tracing and identified four family members and one friend he stayed with while in Pakistan.
“None of the contacts identified are presenting with cholera symptoms and are on continuous close monitoring. On the other hand, water samples were collected from the patient’s place of residence and taken for laboratory testing at the National Health Laboratory Service.”
According to the latest data, the total number of imported cholera cases now stands at three, following two infections detected in two people who travelled from Malawi early this year.
Meanwhile, the country has recorded a total cumulative number of 199 laboratory-confirmed cases since February this year.
The last positive case was recorded on 19 June in Hammanskraal under Tshwane District.
While the situation is under control from the recent cholera outbreak in some parts of the country, Phaahla has urged the public to stay alert and maintain a high level of personal hygiene to prevent possible transmission of waterborne and foodborne diseases.
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