Mystery flu outbreak in Leribe sparks health concerns

… More than 15 community members reported suffering from heavy flu

Ntsoaki Motaung

A mysterious flu outbreak at Ha Letele, Matlameng, in Leribe has left over 15 residents battling the illness for almost a week, prompting health officials to launch an investigation to determine its cause and prevent further spread.

The District Medical Officer (DMO) for Leribe district, Dr. Pusetso Topo, confirmed the situation in an interview with Newsday last week Monday.

HEALTH OFFICIALS INITIATING INVESTIGATIONS

Dr. Topo stated that the affected individuals had not been taken to health facilities yet, as they are currently being monitored and isolated at home.

He assured the public that the Ministry of Health was actively investigating the situation to gain insights into the origin of the outbreak.

“Yes, we received an alert, and currently, we are investigating,” Dr. Topo asserted, emphasising the ministry’s commitment to finding the cause and offering proper treatment to those affected.

COUNCILOR CONFIRMS REPORTS OF HEAVY FLU

Councilor ‘Mathabiso Lepekola of Bolahla C02 confirmed reports of the heavy flu in her council area.

While she could not provide an exact count of affected individuals, Lepekola acknowledged that it was a substantial number of residents who had fallen sick to the illness.

“Nothing has been done yet, only individuals affected went to our nearest clinic Marikane Health Center, but nothing other than that was done to help,” she said and expressed concern about the lack of immediate response to the situation.

MINISTRY’S RESPONSE AND ACTION PLAN

The Public Relations Manager for the Ministry of Health, ‘Mamolise Falatsa, assured the public that the ministry was fully aware of the situation and was taking appropriate measures to contain the outbreak.

“We are aware of the mysterious flu outbreak that has affected about 10 families,” Falatsa confirmed.

She revealed that the ministry’s surveillance team was actively engaged in investigations to identify the source of the flu, which is essential in designing effective treatment plans.

COLLABORATION

Falatsa highlighted that the ministry was also collaborating with the environmental health team to explore various strategies to aid the affected families and halt the flu’s further spread.

“The environmental health team will also be engaged to find ways to help the affected families,” Falatsa emphasised, underscoring the importance of comprehensive efforts to address the situation.