Diarrhoea outbreak  hits Harare Dr Chonzi

Sallomy Matare Herald Reporter
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.

 

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