South Africa has asked the country’s citizens to be vigilant, after health authorities have confirmed two imported cases of cholera.
The South African Ministry of Health, Joe Phaahla, has explained that the two cases are sisters who had traveled to Malawi to attend a funeral. In addition, there would be several relatives who have symptoms compatible with the disease and who are being investigated in the laboratories.
Similarly, the South African Government, which has urged people to ensure proper hygiene, as well as the use of safe or disinfected water or the complete disposal of excrement, has maintained that it is working on "very close collaboration" with local authorities, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and the World Health Organization to closely monitor the situation.
On the other hand, the Minister of Health recalled that cholera is not an endemic disease in the country, informing that the last outbreak, imported from Zimbabwe, occurred in 2008-2009, when the country recorded 12,000 cases.
Malawi is facing a cholera outbreak declared in March of last year, which has left more than 1,200 dead in the country, according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health. The Malawian Executive has imposed and lifted several measures in recent months, including the closure of schools in some cities in the country.