18 Sep 2018

Diarrhoea has killed six children who had been admitted at various health facilities around the country. 

Addressing members of the media at Princess Marina Referral Hospital on September 17, Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Alfred Madigele said 1 776 diarrhoea cases had been reported nation-wide, saying that was the highest number recorded in the last five years for this particular time of the year.

He said the diarrhoea outbreak had been reported at six health districts in the under-five population, but deaths were recorded at Mahalapye, Serowe, Ngami and Boteti. 

The minister stated that of the 27 health districts in the country, the diarrhoea had been recorded only at six health districts and teams had been dispatched to all the affected areas to continue monitoring the situation.

Dr Madigele said the National Rapid Response (NRRT) Teams had been dispatched to offer direct support to the districts on all the aspects of outbreak management. 

He said the national emergency operations centre meet daily at the ministry headquarters to monitor all aspects of the situation including morbidity and mortality data, stock supplies and challenges and also collects information from the NRRT.

He said all districts had personnel trained on the matter and there were also some refresher sessions on diarrhoea case management in all District Health Management Teams as well as guidelines and supplies have been made available in all facilities.

Dr Madigele however, said it was not yet clear what caused the diarrhoea and that tests were being conducted to find the cause.

He said the Rota virus had not been ruled out although not yet confirmed and appealed to members of the public to stick to health practices such as washing hands after using the toilet and boiling drinking water.

He said nursing mothers should always wash their hands before feeding babies and urged those who were not breast feeding to always ensure that utensils used to feed children were clean at all times.

The minister said all stakeholders in the health fraternity had been roped in to assist government fight the diarrhoea and save the lives of children.

He said all should come on board, stating that the ministry alone could not win. ENDS