As concerns are raised about whether South Africans are at risk of contracting the deadly hantavirus that has already claimed lives, health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on Wednesday updated parliaments portfolio committee on health on the situation.
People are demanding answers, especially after a Dutch woman died at a Kempton Park hospital and a Briton with the virus is being treated at a Sandton hospital. Health experts have reiterated that it is extremely rare for the virus to be passed from human to human and that it is carried in rat droppings.
Alexandra, in northern Johannesburg, is notorious for the marauding army of rats that the government has tried to deal with over the years, including introducing owls into the area and spending R2.5m on chemicals.
