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Martha Leboho
Masvingo City Council has urged residents in the country’s oldest town to be on high alert following the outbreak of the deadly cholera disease that has so far claimed five lives in the country.

City chief health officer Mr Zvapano Munganasa said collective effort is needed to ensure the city is free of cholera.

Mr Munganasa, while noting that Masvingo’s water remains clean and safe for human consumption, urged residents to be wary of fruits sold on the streets by vendors.

“Health is everyone’s responsibility and I am appealing to residents to work closely with council and make sure that our city is cholera free.

“We must work as a team to prevent the outbreak of cholera in our town,’’ he said.

Mr Munganasa recommended a number of measures, including disinfecting water before drinking, to prevent an outbreak of cholera in Masvingo.

“We urge residents to disinfect water by either boiling or chlorinating it, or rather use bottled water for drinking.

“However, I want to point out that Masvingo water remains very safe for drinking purposes,’’ he said.

Mr Munganasa said residents must avoid eating uncooked food and make sure potential fly-breeding places such dumping sites were secured to curtail movement of flies.

“As council, we are quite aware that there are a lot of fruits that are being sold on the streets such as mangoes and loquats; residents should always wash them before eating as they risk contracting the deadly cholera disease,’’ he said.

He urged residents to be on the lookout for common cholera symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, saying suspected cases of the deadly disease should be referred to the nearest clinic in the city.

Masvingo has a reputation of supplying arguably the cleanest water in the country, which is drawn from the city’s sole water source, Lake Mutirikwi.

The city has not recorded cholera cases in the recent past, a development that is attributed to high health standards.

Cholera broke out in neighbouring Zambia in October last year and 22 suspected cases of the disease have been reported in Chegutu.