The death toll from the cholera outbreak in South Africa has risen to 43, with Gauteng Province accounting for most of the deaths.
About 35 of the deceased are from the province.
The health ministry says out of the 197 cases reported, 176 are from Gauteng, in the north-east of the country marking it as the highest impacted at 89%.
Free State province have recorded 11 cases and 2 deaths, while in Limpopo 4 people have died. In Mpumalanga province, 2 people have been confirmed dead.
The country has so far recorded 1,045 suspected cases of cholera in 15 out of 52 districts across five provinces.
Preventing further transmissions
Despite the rise in deaths, health ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale says there has been a decline in the number of infections.
“The department is pleased with the progress made with interventions put in place to curb the transmission of cholera disease and mortality rate which have significantly declined in the past few weeks around the country,” Mohale stated.
He further appealed to the public to maintain high standards of personal hygiene, especially during food preparation at social gatherings.
Majority of the positive cases and deaths have been linked to funeral service attendance in the cholera-stricken areas.
