Diarrhea kills 5 children in Kgatleng

District also reported two cases of malaria but no deaths

Five children below 12 months have died from diarrhea in Kgatleng District since 27th September 2020, Council Chairperson Daniel Molokwe has said.

Two were from Artesia and three from Mochudi.

“During this period, we recorded 546 Diarrhea without dehydration, 63 Diarrhea with dehydration and 19 Diarrhea with blood cases”, he said, urging the public to present themselves to health facilities for clinical interventions to avoid any serious trouble.

Areas affected most by diarrhea are Makakatlela, Boseja Ward, Mochudi Clinic II, Oodi and Matebele. The district also reported two cases of malaria but no deaths.

The cases are from Artesia and Makgophana ward. One is suspected to be an imported case as the patient is believed to have visited Tonota on the 18th November 2020 while the other patient never visited any endemic area.

In response, HMT has started contact tracing within families and those in the vicinity. Efforts are also being made to educate the community on the prevention measures for both malaria and diarrhea.

On drug availability, as at September 2020 Kgatleng stood at an average of 85 percent against a target of 97 percent as follows, (vital 90 percent, essential 88 percent and necessary 76 percent).

The council boss said the major challenge faced by the district is that Central Medical Stores (CMS) has inadequate supply, which is less than the average monthly consumption of the district. They procure from local companies to augment their supply. However their efforts were greatly hampered by the lockdowns occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Molokwe was also worried that illegal dumping of waste and littering within and in the outskirts of the build-up area and along highways, remains a challenge in the district.

As at end of October 2020, Kgatleng District Council had an enrolment for domestic waste collection of 6,049 households against a total of 24,733.

This is despite Council’s affordable collection service for domestic waste at a cost of P2.50 per collection weekly. Molokwe urged all to enroll in the service saying clean environment reduces the spread of diseases.