Spokesperson for the NICD, Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, has spoken about the recent news relating to the outbreak of Typhoid fever, said to have been in areas of the Northwest, Western Cape, and Tshwane, stating that they are factually incorrect.
News broke out of Typhoid fever with communities being cautioned by NICD and advised to practice their hygiene. This saw reports of from medical professionals speaking out about the fever.
“The laboratory confirmed reported cases in Tshwane since January 2022 are five, including the one on Thursday. Reported cases this far are distributed, but there is currently no distinct cluster outbreak and the health department’s teams are monitoring all reported cases closely”.
Tshwane health MMC – Rina Marx.
Jimoh said that the supposed rumours about the enteric fever in South Africa are said to be attracting widespread attention and causing needless concern and panic.
“These posts allege either that there are currently cases of enteric fever in certain towns or provinces caused by contaminated municipal water, or that bacteria causing enteric fever have been identified in certain municipal water sources”, said Jimoh.
Symptoms of Typhoid fever include:
- Prolonged fever
- Headache
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Constipation or diarrhoea
There is no evidence that recent cases of enteric fever are linked to contaminated municipal water in any part of the country, and there is no evidence that the bacteria causing enteric fever have recently been identified in municipal water sources anywhere in the country.
This includes those districts in Western Cape and Northwest province in which the clusters (small, localized outbreaks) have been identified.”
