Harare residents are living in fear of another cholera
outbreak after over 50 cases of diarrhoea were recorded in Glen View, Glen
Norah and Budiriro suburbs.
In an interview, Harare City Council’s health services
director Dr Prosper Chonzi said the number of reported cases have been
increasing since last week and they are yet to establish whether the incidences
are a result of cholera or typhoid.
“From last week, we have noticed that there are a number of
diarrhoeal cases presented in our clinics, with Budiriro, Glen View and Glen
Norah being the worst affected,” Dr Chonzi said.
“We have been examining stools from the patients and we
have not yet confirmed whether it is cholera or typhoid; we just believe that
it could just be infectious diarrhoea.”
The city deployed its rapid response team to monitor the
patients admitted to district poly-clinics. “We have a 24-hour rapid response
team that works on surveillance and since yesterday the team has been busy
distributing medicine and non-food items,” Dr Chonzi said.
Dr Chonzi said treatment is for free and encouraged members
of the public experiencing diarrhoea to visit the nearest clinic so that
treatment can be administered early.
Glen View, Glen Norah and Budiriro have been categorised as
hotspots for water-borne diseases which can be attributed to poor sanitation
services and shortages of clean water.
Dr Chonzi advised the people in the three suburbs to use
the water that is there sparingly and also treat the water by boiling or using
aqua tablets. The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has expressed
concern over the threats posed by poor service delivery in the three areas.
“Budiriro is one of the areas that was hard hit by the cholera outbreak which
claimed thousands of lives in Harare, yet sewer bursts continue to be the norm
in the area” said CHRA in a statement. Herald
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