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Harare – At least nine people died from diarrhoea across the country while 12 000 cases of the disease were reported in one week.
With the advent of the rains, sanitation in Zimbabwe becomes poor and cases of diarrhoea generally increase.
According to the latest Health and Child Care Weekly Disease Surveillance System (WDSS) report of week 49, at least 49.6 percent of the deaths were from the under five age group.
Worldwide more than 450 000 children under five years of age still die from diarrheoa (rotavirus) infection each year.
Rotavirus is a contagious disease among children under five infecting the intestinal tract causing severe gastroenteritis.
The Government will soon introduce the rotavirus vaccine following recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which in 2009 said the rotavirus vaccine should be included in all national immunization programmes.
“The total diarrheal cases reported this week are 11 727 cases and nine deaths.
“Of the reported cases 5 813 translating to 49.6 percent and seven deaths were from the under five years of age,” the report said.
Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East recorded the highest number of cases.
Meanwhile, the cumulative figure for diarrheoa is 526 353 cases and 478 deaths.
Diarrheoa causes nausea, abdominal cramps, headaches, dehydration and vomiting.
The report, however, said 85 new suspected cases were reported in Manicaland and Mashonaland West provinces during the same week.
According to the World Health Organisation, 4 000 people died countrywide in 2008 in a cholera epidemic which affected seven districts.
New Ziana