- DHMT Coordinator Dr Sandra Maripe revealed to North West District Councillors
- 17 deaths of children aged below 5 over the same period
- Tragedy a call for action by all
- Parents urged to practice highest levels of hygiene
- Health authorities urge early hospital visits at first symptoms
The Ngami District Health Management Team (DHMT) has registered more than 600 cases of diarrhoea during the months of July and August, with 17 deaths registered over the same period affecting children aged below 5.
This was revealed by Ngami DHMT coordinator Dr Sandra Maripe when addressing councillors during a special full council meeting on Tuesday. Maripe cited that they have recorded a total number of 623 cases in which 121 experienced fluid loss while 16 had blood in their stools.
“From the 17 deaths that we have recorded, 9 died at home while 8 died at the hospital. This is a shocking number and I plead with parents to bring forth their children for medical assistance when they observe any signs of diarrhoea as that can increase chances of recovery,” Maridpe said.
Maripe has since advised parents to practice hygiene, urging them to wash their hands with soap, keeping safe drinking water in clean containers and to ensure improved sanitation to avoid the spread. She revealed that they are currently rolling out a rota virus vaccine to mitigate the situation.
Meanwhile Moeti ward councillor Botshelobokae Ramasu emphasised the importance of boiling water before drinking water running water from the standpipes change colour, which maybe the underlying cause of the diarrhoea.
She further pleaded with other councillors to spread the word to the electorates across constituencies for people practice hygiene. This she said also applies to pleas for parents to take their children to the hospital at the earliest time when they notice symptoms to avoid mortalities.
Maripe has further noted that causes of diarrhoea can be divided into infectious and non-infectious, with most diarrhea causes in developing countries are associated with bacteria such as salmonella, shigella, campylobacter and E. coli. Common viruses that cause diarrhea include rotavirus and norovirus.
She further highlighted that in a very few cases, diarrhoea may found to be caused by caused by protozoa such as giardia or cryptosporidium. In some cases, however, some cases may be due to mixed causes while some cases may not have any identified causes. Non-infectious diarrhoea can be caused by malabsorption, anatomical defects, or inflammatory bowel disease.
