The City of Tshwane says it is intensifying investigations into the source of a rise in typhoid fever cases in Hammanskraal and Bronkhorstspruit amid growing public concern about water safety in the metro.
“Preliminary results of recent drinking water samples taken and tested have not determined an epidemiological link between these cases. Furthermore, the results have not yet determined the source of the contamination,” the city’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, said.
Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi which spreads through contaminated food or water and thrives in poor sanitation conditions.
Symptoms may include prolonged fever, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Mashigo said the city is working closely with the department of health, department of water and sanitation and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to trace the source of the outbreak.
“The city takes these reports seriously and will intensify its investigations, working closely with the relevant departments to ascertain the root cause of the increase in these cases,” said Mashigo.
According to the NICD, several cases of typhoid have recently been reported at Jubilee Hospital in Hammanskraal and Bronkhorstspruit Hospital, where 13 patients were treated.
Most of the patients are children under the age of 15, with the youngest being just eight months old.
Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale told the SABC that the situation was “under control,” and that the NICD’s surveillance team was already tracing the source of infection and educating communities about prevention.
Mashigo said that while an increase in laboratory-confirmed typhoid cases had been noted in the two areas, no Salmonella Typhi had been detected in the city’s treated drinking water to date.
“Routine water quality tests of drinking water continue to be conducted across the city’s network, and no detection of Salmonella Typhi has been recorded,” he said.
He said the city maintained stringent monitoring and testing protocols to ensure compliance with the South African National Standard (SANS 241) for drinking water.
“The city would like to appeal to communities to refrain from using untreated river or borehole water for domestic purposes, as a precautionary measure. Only piped municipal water that has been properly treated and tested should be used for drinking and cooking,” said Mashigo.
He urged communities to observe hygiene protocols, including washing hands with soap and water and practising hygienic and safe storage of water.
Meanwhile, DA caucus leader in Tshwane Cilliers Brink said the outbreak must be “carefully managed to avoid tragedy”.
“The DA is alarmed by a surge of typhoid cases in Hammanskraal, a community in the Tshwane Metro that has not had potable water for many years,” said Ngcamane.
Ngcamane accused the city of failing to communicate effectively with residents and called for urgent action to ensure safe water delivery.
“In the past few months, the DA has consistently drawn attention to the stalling of the project to supply Hammanskraal residents with water from Magalies Water and to eliminate reliance on expensive and exploitative water tankers,” said Ngcamane.
“Though water is not the only source of typhoid, it is certainly at the top of the list of causes that have to be eliminated. We therefore call on the city to act quickly to contain the situation.”
Ngcamane urged the city to release routine water quality test results from the Rooiwal, Apies River and Leeuwkraal water systems, saying they serve as an early warning mechanism.
“The city must also give the assurance that water tankers supplying Hammanskraal have maintained hygiene and supply controls implemented during the cholera outbreak in 2023,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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