A case of cholera has been confirmed in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro and while the municipality insisted that the drinking water is safe, it said on Monday that the affected woman had been exposed to sewage from a large sewage spill in her yard.

A Nelson Mandela Bay woman who was kept in isolation at Livingstone Hospital pending the results of a cholera test, had tested positive for the disease, the municipality announced on Monday.

Municipal spokesperson Mamela Ndamase said the metro had kickstarted several interventions following the confirmed cholera case. She said the resident lives in Walmer Township, Gqeberha.

''There were no further cases reported for the metro,'' Ndamase said.

''Further investigation revealed that there was a sewage line blockage in her yard which resulted in the build-up of sewage in the yard. The sewage line was subsequently fixed and currently there is no longer a build-up of sewage in the yard and no one has fallen sick in the household. The investigation is ongoing.''

Cholera is a bacterial infection that can be fatal in severe cases or if left untreated. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), people can be exposed to the bacteria that causes cholera without getting sick.

''Yet because they shed cholera bacteria in their stool for seven to 14 days, they can still infect others through contaminated water. Most symptomatic cases of cholera cause mild or moderate diarrhoea that's often hard to distinguish from diarrhoea caused...