WHO lauds KZN cholera handling

2003-03-05 16:08

Craig Elyot

Pietermaritzburg - Efforts to contain the raging cholera epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal have been lauded by the United Nation's World Health Organisation (WHO).

In a report to the provincial legislature on Monday, provincial health MEC Zweli Mkhize said his department had handled more than 121 000 cholera cases with 290 deaths since the start of 2000 to date.

The deaths amount to a 24% fatality rate which, according to the WHO, is the lowest fatality rate yet for any cholera outbreak globally.

Mkhize said the department had spent just under R198.3m to fight cholera, which excluded patient treatment costs and routine staff costs.

The national treasury provided R147m of this money while the provincial treasury gave R11.9m, leaving a shortfall of R39.3m which the provincial department shouldered.

Mkhize said new cholera cases continued to be reported, but that effective monitoring and treatment facilities were in place to deal with them.

With regards to HIV/Aids, Mkhize said that the department was expecting funding from the Global Trust Fund to fight Aids, TB and malaria. Staff training courses and government and community partnership projects, including the effective administering of antiretroviral drugs were also being installed, he said. - African Eye News Service

- News24