Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry will deploy experts in Delmas in Mpumalanga soon, to assist with water purification there following the outbreak of typhoid.

This follows a visit by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Buyelwa Sonjica there yesterday to assess the situation.

The highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi has since claimed the life of one person after it broke out last month.

There are currently 51 confirmed cases of typhoid, says Mpho Gabashane spokesperson for the provincial health and social services MEC Pogisho Pasha.

Mr Gabashane said there were also 287 cases displaying symptoms of typhoid and 1 406 cases of diarrhoea.

"The Department of Local Government in the province is assisting with trucks to transport water to the affected area, while the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Kumba Mines have made a tanker and a truck available to transport the water [respectively]," said Mr Gabashane.

About 14 water tanks have been made available to the community, and there is continuous assessment taking place to see if more resources are needed.

A tent has been erected on the Bernice Samuel Hospital, commonly known as Delmas Hospital, premises to treat the over-swell of patients in the hospital.

At the moment there are 16 beds in the tent, however it has the capacity to accommodate 30 beds.

Five patients have already been treated in the tent, said Mr Gabashane.

Meanwhile, health promotion officers are also hard at work conducting an awareness campaign among households to educate them on the importance of treating water before consumption.

Infection by typhoid fever may affect many organs in the body. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, abdominal pain, rash and an enlarged spleen.

However, antibiotics are an effective treatment. The disease lasts several weeks and recuperation takes some time.

The disease is transmitted from human to human via food or drinking water, and it is therefore mainly hygiene and sanitary conditions that determine its spread.