08 Oct 2018

Palapye Sub-district has recorded the death of one child under the age of five due to diarrhoea since the disease broke out in the area.

Palapye Primary Hospital Public Relations Officer Ms Mpho Modibedi said in an interview that just like other districts, Palapye had been affected by the outbreak with 1 389 cases recorded so far.

She explained that the outbreak, attributed to rotavirus, mostly affected children under the age of five.

She encouraged the public to seek medical treatment early before children developed dehydration which could be fatal.

Stressing the importance of rehydration, Ms Modibedi said rehydration with Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) should be done as per health care workers’ instructions.

She encouraged the public to exercise preventative practices such as covering food to avoid contact with flies, safe and correct disposal of stool, nappies and wipes, washing hands with clean water and soap before handling food, adequately cooking or reheating food and boiling water from boreholes before use and covering water stored in containers.

To fight the outbreak, she said advocacy and social mobilisation as well as diarrhoea surveillance systems at all health facilities had been intensified including ensuring proper management of cases, monitoring and availing required medication and laboratory support.

 Mr Modibedi said the Ministry of Health and Wellness had dispatched a team to reinforce district level response.

About Palapye in particular, she said the community was being reached at public gatherings  such as kgotla meetings and at shopping malls, bus rank and pre-schools.

“Health talks on diarrhoea at health facilities are ongoing and in some cases house to house visits are done,” she said. 

Symptoms of diarrhoea include having watery or loose stools three or more times a day, vomiting, fever and abdominal pains in some cases.

In more serious cases the signs are dry lips, thirst, irritability, restlessness, body weakness, sunken eyes and a sunken fontanelle. ENDs