Cholera toll increases to 13

2008-06-10 14:26

Johannesburg - Thirteen illegal miners have contracted cholera in Mpumalanga in the past two weeks and two have died, provincial health authorities said on Tuesday.

The cholera outbreak started on May 29 among illegal miners at Sheba Mine near Barberton.

No new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours, said health spokesperson Mpho Gabashane.

"We currently have only four patients still admitted to hospital, others have since been discharged."

So far, all water samples in the area have tested negative for cholera and it is believed the miners contracted the disease while staying underground for as long as three weeks.

"They go underground for two to three weeks and drink unsafe water. They do not have adequate ablution and we suspect this is how they contracted cholera," said Gabashane.

- SAPA