Betty Moleya
Pretoria - The City of Tshwane has urged the public not to be alarmed as there is no distinct cluster of typhoid fever outbreak in the metropolis.
However, health department teams are closely monitoring all reported cases.
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said there were seven laboratory confirmed cases reported in Tshwane.
“The first two cases were reported in December 2021, and the other five in January and February 2022.”
Mashigo has said typhoid fever symptoms include a high fever, headache, stomach pain and either constipation or diarrhoea.
“Flu-like symptoms may also occur. Community members are encouraged to practice comprehensive hand hygiene, and those with symptoms are requested to visit their nearest health facility for investigation, diagnosis, and treatment.
“Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics available in all health facilities.”
Typhoid fever (enteric fever) is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated food, water or close contact.
The National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) has advised people to protect themselves from the enteric fever by practising good hand hygiene by washing hands with soap and safe water before, during, and after preparing food; before and after eating food; before and after caring for someone at home who is sick; and after using the toilet or changing babies’ nappies or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet.
The NICD has advised people to practice food safety, including separating raw and cooked food, cooking food thoroughly, keeping food at safe temperatures, and using safe water.
When there is concern about the quality of water for drinking and cooking, it recommends boiling water for one minute, or treating it with household bleach – add 1 teaspoon of household bleach (containing 5% chlorine) to 20-25 litres of water, mix well and leave it to stand for at least 30 minutes before use.
“There is no evidence that recent cases of enteric fever are linked to contaminated municipal water in any part of the country,” the NICD said.
Pretoria News