Cholera Kills 34 in South Africa

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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - An outbreak of cholera has killed 34 people in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal since mid-August, health authorities said on Friday.

The provincial health department said recent heavy rains were eroding efforts to contain the disease by washing human waste into rivers.

Eighty-five new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of cases to 5,136 since the outbreak of the disease in the country's most populous province, the department said in a statement.

Cholera, which kills by causing diarrhea so severe that victims die of shock from loss of fluids, spreads via contaminated water and health authorities have urged tourists in KwaZulu-Natal to stick to tap or purified water.

"The recent rains have exacerbated the fight against cholera...by washing human excreta into rivers contaminating water,'' the department said.

In those rivers that are already infected, the additional rainwater threatens to carry the disease further downstream and infect more communities.

The department said it was monitoring water sources throughout the province, supplying clean water to affected areas, and ensuring that people were properly informed on how to combat the infection.

Source: Anonymous. Associate Press, November 17, 2000.