11th September 2024, Wednesday
Author: Quinz Atdah Qeqe
Country: South Africa
Source: Getty Images
SUMMARY
In the first week of August 2024, a Bilharzia outbreak struck the local Patenenge Village school of Malwandla Primary in Tzaneen, Limpopo (Mabunda, 2024). Over 142 pupils from the school contracted the contagious disease, displaying symptoms such as abdominal pains, bloody stools, muscle aches, fever, bloody urine, and diarrhea. The Limpopo Health Department dispatched mobile clinics to the school to provide medical treatment to the infected learners and conduct tests to investigate the source of the outbreak (Malogadihlare, 2024). Over 13 new cases have been reported within 3 local communities in Tzaneen, Limpopo (Shipalana, 2024). The Limpopo Health Department has raised concerns over the rapid spread of the contagious disease. The Provincial Government has established a task team in response to the rapid spread of Bilharzia and has affirmed its commitment to curbing the spread of the disease within the province. Local communities have been advised to exercise caution in their use of water from potentially contaminated sources.
BACKGROUND
Mashilo (2024) reported that “On 7th August 2024, over 140 learners from Malwandla Primary School were diagnosed with Bilharzia and are currently receiving treatment with anti-parasitic medication”. This was after the Limpopo Health Department was notified of the possible outbreak when health officials and parents of the infected pupils witnessed signs of Bilharzia in the school toilet facilities and from the learners who presented Bilharzia symptoms. It was noted that Malwandla Primary learners use pit toilets and access their water supply from the school's borehole (Malogadihlare, 2024).
According to Amanda Mondlane – Malwandla Primary School’s governing body chairperson, though the exact source of the outbreak is yet to be confirmed by the Health Department, it is suspected that the water from the school’s borehole and the water from Richidzelo River are the possible sources of the Bilharzia outbreak (Shipalana, 2024). Malwandla Primary School activities have since returned to normal, with no severe cases or casualties being reported amongst the school’s pupils who had contracted the disease.
Despite schooling, activities have returned to normal at Malwandla Primary School over 13 new Bilharzia cases have been reported in nearby areas in Tzaneen (Mabeba, 2024). The reported cases came from 3 health facilities in Tzaneen namely: Nkowankowa Health Centre (four cases), Khujwana Clinic (five cases), and Dan Clinic (four cases), all cases from these facilities were confirmed by the Limpopo Health Department on Thursday, 5th August (Shipalana, 2024).
The Limpopo Health Department has been in collaboration with local water authorities in Tzaneen to actively investigate and curb the rapid spread of the disease. The Health Department has collected an additional 18 specimens from Malwandla Primary for testing — results are yet to be released by the Department (Shipalana, 2024).
The Limpopo Provincial Government has since established a consorted task team consisting of representatives from the Departments of Health; Education; Co-operative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, office of the Premier and local municipalities within the province of Limpopo (Channel Africa, 2024).
The task team has been established to amplify the provincial government's efforts in responding to the rapid spread of the disease in the province (Shiko, 2024). The task team will work towards providing efficient health care to affected communities, disseminating reliable updates about the disease, and ensuring that the disease is contained and that schooling is not affected within the province.
Residents from the local communities within Tzaneen have expressed their concern over the rapid spread of the Bilharzia disease, with specific concerns about their children’s schooling activity being possibly affected (Mashilo, 2024).
The Provincial Government has affirmed its commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of residents in the Limpopo province. The Government has urged all residents to cooperate with the advice from the Health Department in exercising caution when using or coming into contact with potentially contaminated water sources.
Communities have been advised to seek immediate medical attention from their local health facilities if they witness any signs or symptoms of the Bilharzia disease (Mabeba, 2024).
REFERENCES
Channel Africa. 2024. SA Province Investigating The Source Of A Bilharzia Outbreak. September 05th. http://www.channelafrica.co.za/sabc/home/channelafrica/news/details?id=0b5eabef-f255-4ee4-8936-d1ef2e90abf5&title=SA%20province%20investigating%20the%20source%20of%20a%20Bilharzia%20Outbreak. Date Of Access: 06th September 2024
Channel Africa. 2024. SA Province Put Plans In Place To Fight Bilharzia Outbreak. September 09th. http://www.channelafrica.co.za/sabc/home/channelafrica/news/details?id=f10e3f30-3cfe-41fe-a566-99b3af97e042&title=SA%20Province%20put%20plans%20in%20place%20to%20fight%20Bilharzia%20Outbreak. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
Getty Images. 2024. The Limpopo River Near Xai-Xai. https://photos.com/featured/the-limpopo-river-near-xai-xai-ulrich-mnstermann.html?utm_source=GettyImages&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=GettyImagesBuyPrint. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
Mabeba, M. 2024. Widespread Concern As Bilharzia Disease Spreads In Limpopo. Sunday World. September 09th. https://sundayworld.co.za/news/widespread-concern-as-bilharzia-disease-spreads-in-limpopo/. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
abunda, A. 2024. 142 Learners Test Positive For Bilharzia At Malwandla Primary School In Patenenge. Tzaneen Voice. August 28th. https://tzaneenvoice.co.za/142-Learners-Test-Positive-For-Bilharzia-At-Malwandla-Primary-School-In-Patenenge/. Date Of Access: 06th September 2024
Malogadihlare, J. 2024. Limpopo Department Of Health Tackles Bilharzia Outbreak In A Local School. Inside Education. August 29th. https://insideeducation.co.za/limpopo-department-of-health-tackles-bilharzia-outbreak-in-a-local-school/. Date Of Access: 06th September 2024
Mashilo, O. 2024. ‘Exercise Extreme Caution’_ Limpopo Government Warns Communities Amid Bilharzia Outbreak. The Citizen News. September 09th. https://www-citizen-co-za.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/exercise-extreme-caution-limpopo-government-warns-communities-amid-bilharzia-outbreak/amp/?amp_js_v=0.1&_gsa=1#webview=1. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
Shiko, C. 2024. Limpopo Sets Up Task Team As Province Battles Bilharzia Outbreak. Jacaranda FM. September 09th. https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/limpopo-task-team-province-battles-bilharzia-outbreak/. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
Shipalana, T. 2024. 13 New Cases Of Bilharzia Recorded In Tzaneen. The Citizen News. September 09th. https://www.citizen.co.za/letaba-herald/news-headlines/local-news/2024/09/05/13-new-cases-of-bilharzia-recorded-in-tzaneen/. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
Shipalana, T. 2024. Tzaneen Bilharzia Cases Rise To 155. Caxton Network News. September 09th. https://www.citizen.co.za/network-news/lnn/article/tzaneen-bilharzia-cases-rise-to-155/. Date Of Access: 09th September 2024
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