1 550 DIARRHOEA CASES IN ONE WEEK

MBABANE – At least 1 550 diarrhoea cases were recorded in the country last week only, with Hhohho being the highest of all the regions.

The Ministry of Health Promotion Officer, Calvin Dlamini, speaking on national radio yesterday morning, said the summer season had resulted in an increase in diarrhoeal cases. He stated that most healthcare facilities had infected people, which was so alarming. Dlamini said in last week’s statistics alone, for the four regions,  the Hhohho Region had  the highest diarrhoeal cases of  600, followed by Lubombo (500), Shiselweni  (300) and Manzini recorded at least 150 diarrhoeal cases. He said despite the current recorded cases in a week alone, there was still a concern on the increasing number of  diarrhoeal cases across the country. He said there was a need for quick measures to be taken before the situation got out of hand.

“We are seeing a continuous increase in diarrhoeal cases. Whether you go to a government hospital, clinic or visit any healthcare facility, you will discover that there are patients suffering from diarrhoea,” said Dlamini.  He also indicate that emaSwati were no longer cautious about their health as they used to during the COVID-19 era where they kept on washing their hands  in  fear of contracting the virus. He said such an increase showed that people were living irresponsibly.

Dlamini further said the ministry had discovered that babies were mostly affected by diarrhoea through contact with their parents or family members. He then pleaded with parents to wash their hands before breastfeeding their babies. “Children, who are not even in a position to crawl, are now suffering from diarrhoea. The reason is that their parents breastfeed them with unclean hands. It is high time that parents never allow anyone to pick their child unless that person has clean hands,” he stated. He then encouraged emaSwati to continue using the sanitiser like they did during the COVID-19 era. He said during that period, few diarrhoea cases were reported in all healthcare facilities.

“The best way for us to fight diarrhoea is through washing of hands regularly with running water or even use a sanitiser. Make sure you do that even if you have been shaking hands with people you know,” he pleaded. Dlamini also said another way of curbing the increasing diarrhoeal cases in the country was by encouraging shebeen owners to build toilets for their customers. Dlamini further encouraged parents to rush their children to hospital immediately they exhibited symptoms.

He said by so doing, they would eliminate the loss of lives. He further advised people to use the oral rehydration solution anytime they experienced diarrhoea symptoms to remain strong. From the last report released by the Ministry of Health two weeks ago (October 17, 2022), Hhohho Region had the highest number of diarrhoea cases recorded with Shiselweni Region recording the lowest cases.

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