ALBERTON – Nathan van der Westhuizen, age 5 is an autistic child who had to spend eleven days in ICU with the virus Typhoid Fever which effected his liver, his spleen and gallbladder.
He contracted Hepatitis A in the liver and the chance of his gallbladder being removed next month (November) is high. Laurika van der Westhuizen (mother of Nathan) received the test results which showed the evidence of Typhoid fever being present. Infection Control and Clinton Clinic were notified, due to it being such a rare case, and infection control reported it to the authorities on September 22, so the health department came out a week later to do a test on the properties soil in Alberton North.
“Salmonella thyphi tested negative on the soil but Nathan was sick for three weeks before he was diagnosed with thyphoid fever. The fact that it is so rare and the more days that passed before the tests were done on the property – the virus could have been absorbed,” said Laurika. However, salmonella enterica was shown on the report as positive. Alone, this virus can cause severe problems.
The Department of Health informed Laurika she should remove her plant material i.e. plants and vegetation without giving any valid reason why. The reported evidence states that the Samonella Enterica might be caused due to sewerage waste spillage which is directly on the property every week.
“How did this get on my ground?” said Laurika. “This is contaminated soil. E-mails have been passed on person to person without response from as long as twelve years ago. Since about January, the blockage which occurred twice a month increased to once a week, in a short span of time. We are afraid to bath in the water, scared to drink the water. I have to buy water.The situation is drastic yet nothing has been done.”
The water has run down the sides of the road and more community residents had shared their frustration. “The sewerage is running into the dam and people are unaware of this,” said Jimmy, a nearby resident in the area. “I have to continuously buy products to keep everything hygienic.” He knows the history behind the matter and is frustrated with the amount of sewage, and kids play in this water because they are kids. “It is a health hazard,” he says. Jimmy also stated that the incident had been reported two years ago and had been in the paper before.
Brian Schutte, also a nearby resident in the same area says, “This is a problem that has been going on for years. Ever since the first complex had been built near the highway, this problem had escalated – now it’s virtually every weekend.” Being pushed from pillar to post, Brian received no response and nothing constructive is being done. “Unfortunately it has to get to this point where Laurika’s son got sick,” said Brian with concern.
Laurika seeks help from a professional to put in a claim if they can assist in supporting Laurika, if they feel that she has a strong enough case. “My five-year-old child risks losing his gallbladder due to this situation.”
As Laurika waits on a further response, there will be more information shared soon regarding this situation.
