23 Aug 2015

At least two children have died at Bamalete Lutheran Hospital in suspected cases of diarrhoea.

The South East District commissioner, Mr Ian Tema said in an interview that the Ramotswa Sub-district has been experiencing a diarrhoea outbreak.

He said 43 cases have been reported as at  August 18, and that he remained hopeful that the situation would be put under control.

Mr Tema said initially the outbreak was confined to Taung and Ramotswa, but that there has been a case reported from Otse.

Furthermore, he said the diarrhoea at first affected children from four months to eight-years-old, but that the situation changed as there were cases of parents who have been affected and treated for diarrhoea.

However, he said out of the 43 cases reported, 16 children have been admitted at Bamalete Lutheran Hospital while the rest were treated and discharged.

He said stool samples have been taken to be tested to confirm the cause of the outbreak.

Mr Tema said initial investigations have revealed that hygiene was wanting in most cases, and he encouraged the community to adhere to hygiene practices such as washing of hands before preparing or contacting food and after using the toilet.

Furthermore, he encouraged the community to boil water before drinking because the cause of the outbreak remains unknown.

He noted that the outbreak coincided with the bojale initiation training where noise was outlawed in the village.

However, he said the village leadership has acceded to public address systems during the day to sensitise the community. Ends