South Africa has recorded cholera cases from two sisters who traveled to Malawi, where an outbreak has claimed hundreds of lives.
The country’s health authorities confirmed that both patients developed symptoms upon their return to Johannesburg.
The health department has called for vigilance, urging people to observe proper hygiene, such as washing hands with soap and water before and after using the bathroom and before preparing or eating food.
Health Department spokesman Foster Mohale said one of the sisters had gone to a clinic and was later admitted to hospital.
“A close contact [household family member] of one of the patients was admitted to the hospital on February 4 with diarrhea and dehydration and is considered a possible case,” the health department said.
The health department said lab test results are pending and close contact tracing of the sisters is underway.
Cholera is an acute enteric infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, and outbreaks generally occur in settings with inadequate sanitation and safe drinking water.
Symptoms range from mild to severe and include watery diarrhea and dehydration.
“The department is working closely with the affected province [Gauteng]the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the World Health Organization to monitor the situation,” Mohale said.
Malawi, which had a cholera outbreak last year, has so far lost more than 1,000 people to the disease.
The health department said South Africa had its last cholera outbreak more than a decade ago with some 12,000 cases, following an outbreak in neighboring Zimbabwe.
The department said health officials at ports of entry, especially land and air, will remain on high alert for travelers arriving from countries experiencing a cholera outbreak.
