An Ethiopian who arrived in East London from Zimbabwe on Sunday is being treated for cholera, the Eastern Cape Health Department said on Wednesday.
Department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo told the Sapa news agency the man was being treated in isolation to prevent an outbreak of the disease in the province.
“He arrived on Sunday and got sick on Monday. A team has since been sent out to test the two people he stayed with on his arrival,” he said.
The health team will also be investigating who the two people had been in contact with to contain the spread of the disease.
International Federation Red Cross (IFRC) has confirmed that the cholera outbreak which began in Zimbabwe has already affected over 12 500 people and at least 500 people have died.
The outbreak has also been posing serious health risks across the border in South Africa’s Limpopo province, where approximately six deaths and 400 cases have been reported so far.
The Musina branch of the South African Red Cross Society has mobilised its staff and volunteers to carry out educational activities by widely distributing prevention information leaflets as well as providing support to health authorities.
“The most effective way to fight cholera is prevention. We are working to empower communities to take the steps needed to protect themselves from this deadly but curable and preventable disease,” said John Fleming, the IFRC’s Southern Africa health and care co-ordinator.
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