IN an effort to prevent and manage communicable diseases including cholera and COVID-19, the NMBM has committed to continue its wastewater surveillance programme in partnership with the Nelson Mandela University, SA Medical Research Council and National Health Laboratory Service.
During a consultative workshop hosted by NMBM with the stakeholders on Thursday, 8 June 2023 in Gqeberha, the stakeholders engaged in a robust and honest discussion about the existing challenges.
However, the discussions were unanimous on the fact that all stakeholders involved cannot wait until there are cases of cholera or any communicable diseases in the region. Proactive action through scientific investigations to detect any cholera cases that may be present in the area should continue.
With the re-introduction of cholera in South Africa in January 2023, the NMBM took bold steps to conduct cholera surveillance in its area through wastewater surveillance. The aim of the cholera surveillance program is to detect any early cases of cholera that are introduced into the City in order to activate early government responses.
The surveillance programme will also help identify the broader geographical location should there be an infected person, for tracking and tracing purposes.
The Metro is building on existing partnerships that were formed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with the SA Medical Research Council and NMU for health surveillance purposes.
NMBM Public Health Mayoral Committee Member, Cllr Thsonono Buyeye said building capacity was essential in responding well to communicable diseases.
“The Municipal Health Services directorate has a legal mandate for prevention and management of communicable diseases and to conduct surveillance of communicable diseases in order to fulfil this mandate. The surveillance of communicable diseases is significant as it serves as an early warning system which can help reduce the impact of a health event or health threat, it provides timely and relevant information, and health intelligence, in a systematic way for an effective response to a health threat.
“If effectively implemented, the surveillance programme can contribute to increasing the resilience of communities and health systems and can offer simultaneous support for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by reducing the loss of life and improving livelihood, and life expectancy. We are fortunate that no cases of cholera have been detected in our City but through these partnerships, we will continue to do the precautionary work rather than being reactive,” MMC Buyeye said.
NMBM Deputy Director for Health Services said through the same surveillance program, the NMBM has also conducted surveillance on the prevalence of substances that are resistant to antibiotics in its community.
“It is important for the Municipality to conduct this investigation because when microorganisms such as bacteria become resistant to antibiotics they become harder to treat and may worsen the morbidity and mortality rates among those sick in the community. This reduces the life expectancy for the NMBM population and may promote the occurrence of opportunistic infections,” Nodwele said.
During the workshop, the stakeholders also discussed the possibility of expanding the disease surveillance program to include other diseases.
“We have shared the data that we have and during the workshop had time to plan ahead. Once the different organisations approve the proposals discussed today on the expansion of the disease surveillance program, the NMBM surveillance system will become bigger and more comprehensive. This is good news for the NMBM healthcare recipients because major health threats will be identified from the range for better responses. It is good to note that the cholera surveillance program has shown that so far there are no human cases of cholera in the NMBM area which is good news for the City. However, everyone has to remain vigilant, maintain adequate personal hygiene standards and report any severe diarrhoeal cases to a nearby health facility,” Nodwele added.
Issued by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Communications Office.
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