SEVENTEEN cases of typhoid have been confirmed at Matapi
Flats in Mbare and authorities have since set up a 24-hour clinic to manage
patients. The city’s director for health services, Dr Prosper Chonzi, told ZBC
News yesterday that 12 patients have since been transferred to Beatrice Road
Infectious Diseases Hospitals (BRIDH). “So far, we have confirmed 17 cases of
typhoid,” said Dr Chonzi.
“Those that are too sick to be managed in the clinic are
being transferred to BRIDH. There is an ambulance that is there 24 hours to
ferry the sick patients. “As we speak, 12 people are admitted at our BRIDH. We
have not yet had any fatalities; we hope that it remains like that. If people
came in early, we will be able to manage the treatment in terms of
antibiotics.”
Local authorities are now considering introducing vaccines
— which are already being given to council workers working at council’s
sewerage treatment works — to high-risk areas. Dr Chonzi said, “We want to introduce
a vaccine for certain areas in the city. If we are not able to supply water; if
we are not able to supply sanitation, maybe this may prevent people from
falling sick and this is at very early stages.
“But we are already giving vaccines to our employees who
work at the sewerage treatment works such as Firle (Waste Water Treatment
Plant); so we are thinking maybe in those high-risk areas, we may consider
introducing a vaccine.” It is suspected that the recent typhoid outbreak could
have been caused by poor water sanitation and overpopulation.
The new outbreak happens two months after Government
declared Harare typhoid free. Health and Child Care Minister Dr David
Parirenyatwa announced in August that the last confirmed case of typhoid in
Harare was on June 30, 2017. “We have put in place control measures that
include case follow-up and treatments in the community and use of safe water at
point of use with chlorination of borehole water.
“We also stopped the use of contaminated boreholes in
affected areas with emphasis on good hygiene practices,” said Minister
Parirenyatwa then. “Harare City Council took part and made sure that water was
available 24 /7, the community was taught about health especially about good
hygiene practices,” he added.
Government has been trying to prevent the resurgence of the
disease through deploying enhanced surveillance systems and avoiding shortages
in key suburbs. “The main issue now is to avoid any new cases from spreading
once they are detected or re-occur. This will require enhanced surveillance and
avoiding shortage of water in key suburbs,” said Minister Parirenyatwa. Health
experts say typhoid is a communicable disease that is usually manifested by
fever, diarrhoea, prostration, headache and intestinal inflammation. herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment