Ministry suspected cholera outbreak last year

THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has confirmed that the outbreak of cholera was first suspected as far back as early November last year.

THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has confirmed that the outbreak of cholera was first suspected as far back as early November last year.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Ester Paulus, yesterday said between 16 and 18 November 2013, numerous diarrhoea cases were being treated at health facilities in the region and that all patients with cholera-like symptoms were tested and the results came out negative for Vibrio Cholerae.

She also said more cases were treated between 2 and 12 December last year, when tests were done on all patients with diarrhea and other cholera like symptoms and five patients were confirmed with Vibrio Cholerae.

Paulus said the regions had an overall 89 cases of suspected cholera during the period of 16 November 2013 to 5 January 2014.

She also said the Opuwo District Hospital currently admitted 56 suspected cholera patients.

“Three confirmed Vibrio Cholerae cases and seven suspected cholera deaths (four deaths from the community and three deaths from the Opuwo District Hospital),” she said.

“The Ministry has sent a team of health experts throughout the region for surveillance, treatment, health promotion, education and for referral of community members with suspected cholera symptoms to health facilities,” he said.

Paulus said more health professionals are expected to be dispatched into the field to areas that are not easily accessible.

She urged those living in the affected regions to visit their nearest health facility and increase their fluid intake, including taking oral re-hydration therapy as frequently as possible.

As part of the preventive measures, Paulus also urged the public to wash hands with soap and clean water after using toilet, after and before eating, after cleaning a child or adult who has passed stools and to practise basic hygiene, especially when handling food, disposing off stools and to boil water before drinking.

Meanwhile, Opuwo State Hospital is so overcrowded due to the cholera outbreak, leaving some patients sleeping on the floor and in television rooms.

The Acting Director of Health for the Kunene Region, Ndahepele Jason, told Nampa on Monday that the wards were full and three tents from the Namibia Red Cross Society, that were erected on the hospital premises to be used as alternative wards, could not be utilised due to a lack of mattresses.

The mattresses which were expected to arrive from Windhoek on Tuesday had not yet arrived when Nampa visited the hospital on Tuesday at around 18h00.

Nampa understands that besides the admitted patients, an average of five new cases are registered per day as people suspected to have cholera are turning up at the hospital seeking medical treatment.

– additional reporting by Nampa