South African authorities are investigating outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness that have made 111 people ill at Rhodes University in Makhanda, along with 23 prisoners held at St Albans in Nelson Mandela Bay, AllAfrica reports, carrying a government statement.
Those affected have been treated for severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration. A technical team including the Department of Water and Sanitation, provincial health officials, local councils and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has taken samples from water sources, storage tanks and treatment works.
Early results suggest the contamination is in the internal water systems of the university and the prison, not in the municipal supply, though full laboratory results are still awaited. The water minister, Pemmy Majodina, and the Eastern Cape premier, Oscar Mabuyane, led a meeting on Wednesday evening, and residents with symptoms have been urged to seek medical care.
Source: AllAfrica
