15 Mar 2017

Ghanzi East sub-district council chairperson, Ms Dineo Swartz says the recent diarrhea outbreak has claimed four lives.

Officially opening the sub-council session on Monday, Ms Swartz said the district encountered an outbreak of diarrhea in children under the age of five since February and 902 cases were reported, 60 admitted and four deaths.

“Fortunately our clinics have enough resources and medication stocks required for management of the situation,” she said.

She explained that the Department of Environmental Health had since conducted water sampling in the sub-district, while five of 38 samples collected failed microbial tests.

The results, she said were communicated to Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) for proper action while another re-sampling was planned to begin yesterday.

Ms Swartz said the purpose of re-sampling  was to ensure that there was no reccurence and communities should not be worried at the present moment.  

On another issue, she said the department was struggling with reports of overflowing of septic tanks at various schools, teachers’ houses and other council facilities.

However, she said they liaised with both WUC and the Department of Building and Engineering Services  to assist with emptying school septic tanks following the breakdown of their only vacuum tanker.

On Malaria, she said to date they had received 12 reports of Malaria and contact tracing had been done.

She explained  that  it had been noted that the cases were imported from  Ngamiland and had been since communicated with the relevant office in Ngamiland to do contact tracing at Pelotshetha cattlepost. ENDS