The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has announced plans to prevent typhoid fever from reaching South Africa, following a recent outbreak in neighboring Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
The institute’s\u00a0Lucille Blumberg noted that there was increased risk of the disease spreading during the December holidays with holidaymakers travelling to and from the two countries.<\/p>\n
While all of the confirmed cases\u00a0so far all have been in the low-income suburb of Mbare in the capital Harare, officials are still taking concerted efforts to create awarenesss about the disease in high-risk areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be going around the communities to tell them what it is they need to do to prevent the outbreak, but what is of most importance is that we have made sure that all of our facilities have some kind of way of dealing with it in the event that something comes their way. We are on serious high alert,” the National Health Department’s Joe Maila told\u00a0EWN<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n South Africa faced a similar typhoid scare in January 2016, prompting the NICD to update the disease’s status in South Africa. Those experiencing Typhoid symptoms including\u00a0poor appetite,\u00a0abdominal pain, headaches, generalized aches and pains are urged\u00a0to seek immediate medical attention .<\/p>\n
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