Health

Cholera spreads to river system of South Africa's Kruger Park

by Miriam Mannak | January 29, 2009 at 05:17 am

6150 views | 71 Recommendations | 9 comments

There is no sign the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, which claimed over 3000 lives in the troubled country, is under control - especially now the disease has been detected in the rivers flowing through the Kruger National Park - South Africa' s famous wildlife reserve.

However, the developments do not pose a threat to people visiting the reserve - which is situated in the North-East of South Africa.

Cholera has been detected in the rivers flowing through the Kruger National Park, according to the South African National Parks (SANParks).

"We need to manage and protect the rivers, but no person in the park drinks directly from the rivers. We have our own purification plants, so people will not be affected," SANParks chief executive David Mabunda in a press statement.

The Kruger Park is situated in both the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. Over the past months, 3000 people in this area - which borders Zimbabwe - have been treated for cholera.

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Uwe Paschen

at 05:26 on January 29th, 2009

Once the water is no longer clean all life is in danger. I am really surprised that the AU has not yet acted. This is not going to look good on the AU record down the road.

Barbara McPherson

at 09:59 on January 29th, 2009

How can they be so blase about the danger. Do little kids splash in the contaminated water? Do the non tourists use the water for their gardens? It's time for the leaders in Africa to lead and make the hard decisions necessary to remove Mugabe.

Miriam Mannak

at 22:11 on January 29th, 2009

The thing is, for instance, that many Zimbabweans flee their country via the Kruger. These people, for various days before the end up at a city depend on this water. I am also wondering about the spraying of for instance veggies and other produce ... Honestly, this all makes me very sad ...

Amy Judd

at 10:50 on January 29th, 2009

Does it affect the animals at all? (that may be a dumb question I realize)...

Miriam Mannak

at 22:12 on January 29th, 2009

Not sure actually ...

Emilio Lizardo

at 12:04 on January 29th, 2009

Cholera can affect people and some animals and causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and shock. If untreated, death can occur within hours.

What animals get cholera?
Most animals do not develop illness from cholera. Dogs may become infected if exposed to a very large number of the Vibrio cholerae bacteria in either food or water. Outbreaks have been reported in bison, cattle and dogs.

How can my animal get cholera?
Animals can be exposed to the bacteria through ingestion (oral). This may occur from exposure to feces from infected animals or people or from fecally contaminated water, food or raw shellfish.

How does cholera affect my animal?
Most animals infected will show no signs of illness. If illness occurs, animals will have large amounts of watery diarrhea and vomiting. They can become rapidly dehydrated, which can lead to death.

How can I protect my animal from cholera?
Do not allow your animal to be exposed to any other animal experiencing profuse, watery diarrhea. Make sure to provide your animal with food and water that you know is safe from contamination.