Zimpapers Logo

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council has set up a typhoid treatment camp at Hatcliffe Clinic after the results of one person who died in the suburb came out positive for the salmonella typhi bacteria, Health Services director Dr Prosper Chonzi has said.

Dr Chonzi said as of yesterday, the city had started installing online chlorinators for the boreholes which were not decommissioned to treat drinking water.

He said a relative of the deceased who was also infected with typhoid had responded to treatment.

This leaves the death toll from typhoid at three in Harare since December last year.

The other two deaths were a result of a similar outbreak which hit Mbare last year before spreading to Budiriro and Glen View.

“We have set up a dedicated typhoid treatment facility in Hatcliffe,” said Dr Chonzi. “We are urging the residents of the area to go and get treated and tested if they have any symptoms of the water- borne disease.

“We are continuing with the heath awareness campaigns. People should treat water regardless of the source and remove the notion that borehole water is safe.

“Communities must practise good personal hygiene like washing hands after visiting ablution facilities, buying food from licensed premises, using aqua tablets and Waterguard for water treatment.”

Dr Chonzi said the treatment facility had tested 21 people and said the results were encouraging as all hd tested negative for the salmonella typhi bacteria.

For the suspected cholera death in Epworth, Dr Chonzi said the preliminary results were negative, but they were waiting for the final tests to make a conclusion.

Hatcliffe Ward 42 Councillor Mr Naboth Munyengera implored the city to provide a constant water supply and distribute water treatment remedies free of charge at the clinic.

Harare Water director Engineer Hosiah Chisango said council had been facing technical challenges in its bid to improve water supplies.

Water supply has been restored in areas like Hatcliffe, with other areas that have low pressure receiving water from bowsers deployed by council.

“We are experiencing some technical challenges in our water delivery to the southern part of Harare, so we are currently running on one to two pumps instead of three,” said Eng Chisango. “This has resulted in some areas getting low pressure and others not getting water.

“What we are doing in the meantime is that we have deployed water bowsers to areas such as Mabvuku-Tafara and Msasa Park which are some of the worst affected.”