They were admitted to St Patrick's Hospital with diarrhoea last week. Provincial Health MEC Bevan Goqwana said test results had confirmed cholera on Friday and the outcome of tests done on river water were expected tomorrow. Apart from the river water tests, the movements of the boys prior to their infection would also be investigated to determine the source of the infections. Yesterday a meeting was held in Bizana between health educators, the local council and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry to discuss the disease. Vetebese George said the areas lacked toilets and people drank from unprotected boreholes.
Cholera is a diarrhoeal disease caused by bacterial infection of the intestine.
It is transmitted via drinking water or food contaminated with the bacterium, or through contact with faeces of an infected person. Preventive measures include teaching simple awareness practices such as washing hands after visiting the toilet, the boiling or purifying of water and reporting patients with diarrhoea. Goqwana said children possibly did not fully grasp the cholera awareness education and he might ask Education MEC Stone Sizani to reinstate hygiene lessons at primary schools. He also predicted the number of cases would drop due to the approach of winter and lowering of temperatures in which the bacteria could not survive. The total number of cases reported since the outbreak of the disease in mid-August last year is 90888.