The Eastern Cape Department of Health says the recent suspected outbreak affecting children in Aberdeen in the Sarah Baartman District has stabilised, and is thought to have been linked to extreme heat at the time.
AlgoaFM reports that an alert had been issued after health facilities recorded an unusual increase in children presenting with similar respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms between 30 January and 3 February.
Symptoms included fever, headaches, sore throat, cough, runny nose, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, and dizziness. Respiratory symptoms were mainly observed in children under five.
At the time, the department had treated the situation as a suspected localised outbreak, pending laboratory confirmation, and implemented precautionary measures including heightened surveillance at health facilities, clinical monitoring of cases, laboratory testing, environmental health assessments and health education focused on hygiene and early care-seeking.
MEC spokesperson Camagwini Mavovana said that after testing and evaluation, it is now believed the symptoms were largely linked to extreme heat in the region, where temperatures had been reaching highs of around 40 degrees. She said this was combined with insufficient hydration.
AlgoaFM article – Suspected outbreak cleared in Aberdeen (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives: