'Beware Africa's bottled water'

2003-01-17 13:24

Johannesburg - Travellers in East Africa should not assume that locally produced bottled water and soft drinks are safe, warns Netcare Travel Clinics (NTC).

"Although this is not the first time that water-based drinks produced locally in East Africa have been contaminated, it reinforces the fact that travellers should never take it for granted that bottled juices and water are safe to drink," says NTC medical director Dr Andrew Jamieson.

Travellers should be wary of bottled water and soft drinks in all developing African countries.

Dr Stephen Toovey of NTC said the warning followed a cholera outbreak which claimed two lives in Uganda, and a ban on the sale of liquid refreshment in Kampala.

He said the Uganda health ministry had imposed a simultaneous ban on sales after traces of faeces with associated high counts of the bacterium Escherichia coli were found in test samples.

Toovey's tests were done on locally-packed juices and water after an estimated 100 cholera cases were reported in the city.

Overflowing sewage blamed

He said several cases of dysentery also had been recorded in the area since late last year, with at least one death.

"The contamination is believed to have occurred as a result of sewage overflowing into wetlands and certain protected springs in the Kampala area," he said.

Toilets that emptied into open drainage channels had exacerbated the problem, said Toovey.

He warned all travellers to be extremely diligent about treating all water used for drinking, cooking or personal hygiene - including when brushing one's teeth.

Jamieson said: "It might also be advisable for high-risk travellers to be vaccinated against cholera before visiting areas where the disease is endemic."

- SAPA